'Limitless' goes up against 'Lincoln Lawyer,' 'Paul'

By Sarah Sluis

A severe case of writer's block leads a desperate man (Bradley Cooper) to start taking a wonder drug in Limitless (2,756 theatres). The "rollicking contemporary action yarn on steroids with a sci-fi edge," as described by critic Doris Toumarkine, should lead the pack this weekend, though it could be beaten by the second weekend of Battle: Los Angeles. While it offers a cool what-if experience, it ends up becoming an "addled yarn about how awesome drugs can be if only you're badass enough to quit anytime you want," Slate critic Dana Stevens wryly notes. "In other words, it's the perfect movie for our Charlie Sheen moment: Do the drugs, get the girls, keep the money. Bitchin'."

The legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer (2,707 theatres) may inspire a bit of "dj vu," but it accomplishes its job in a smooth, cool manner with showy performances." Critic Kirk Honeycutt pegged the film as "the kind of bad-guys-vs.-even-worse-guys film [viewers] can check out anytime," which is perhaps why Lionsgate rolled out a Groupon promotion that offered discount tickets. According to an article in THR, "Lionsgate is subsidizing the discounted sales, so box office revenue will reflect full price." So even if they're earning half the money (or less), it will count as a full-price ticket? Well, Hollywood accounting has never been known for accurately representing profits, so I guess this accounting wizardry makes sense.

Rounding out the group of new releases, sci-fi comedy Paul (2,801 theatres) is the third "genre riff" featuring writers/actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, but fans of their films Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead may find the movie less "cohesive," according to critic Ethan Alter, perhaps due to the absence of directer/co-writer Edgar Wright. Still, Alter found "the film's general good humor and obvious affection for its geeky heritage make it an altogether pleasant ride." Paul may be the least strong of this week's bunch, but all three should finish closely together, in the teen millions.

Win Win (5 theatres) is the kind of film made for the Sundance crowd. Fox Searchlight wisely premiered the movie at the festival in January, and critic Kevin Lally speculates that it may be director Tom McCarthy's "most commercially potent slice- of-life to date." Adopting his "beleaguered Everyman" persona, Paul Giamatti plays a struggling lawyer and wrestling coach who finds himself taking in a boy who proves to be a star wrestler. The "well-written, deftly performed movie is truly a win-win for audiences," Lally concludes. Focus' specialty pic Jane Eyre posted the highest per-screen average of the year last week, so the market is hot for quality specialty fare.

Also in the mix this week is the nomad-turned-top model biopic Desert Flower (3 theatres), as well as the girls' boarding school movie Cracks (6 theatres), with sexual tension manifested as "passion thwarted." Winter in Wartime (3 theatres) is another entry in that time-worn setup, the WWII child confronting the Nazis, but this time it's set in the Netherlands, with a more "Hardy Boys-like adventure quality to it."

On Monday, the results of The Lincoln Lawyer's Groupon experiment will be in full view, and we'll see if Limitless achieved the heights that those under the influence of its wonder drug attain so easily.