Why Stop Now

Cocaine, Mozart, and Tracy Morgan

I've never been a huge fan of Tracy Morgan. I've never thought him to be that good of an actor, and he was my least favorite part of 30 Rock. I never saw the Kevin Smith-directed Cop Out, and I've really never seen him in a film role. Here, he plays the part of "Sparkles," a drug dealer. Jesse Eisenberg (an absolute favorite of mine) plays the lead role of Eli, and Melissa Leo, another great actor, as his mother, Penny.

The basic concept is this: Eli is a piano prodigy, and he has a very important audition today. Penny is his mother, an addict (to cocaine, I believe, the film never makes it specific). Eli himself may be an alcoholic to some degree; he drank heavily the night before his audition, and according to Penny, drinks every few nights of the week. But Eli is trying to get himself together for his audition, drop his sister off at school, and mostly importantly, deliver his mother (Penny) to rehab.

Only problem? Penny doesn't test positive for drugs in her urine test. She's stayed clean for the few days leading up to rehab, and has no drugs in her system. The attendant at the rehab suggests she goes out and gets high, comes back with "dirty urine," and then she can be admitted. And here begins the main plot of the film.

This is a film that tries to walk the line between comedy and drama, but seems to take the drama much less seriously, and the comedy to a degree that we can't quite believe. Tracy Morgan, as Penny's dealer, gives a tolerable performance, but nothing different from what we've seen from him before. The film treats drug addiction so meagerly that it almost seems comical. Drug addiction, whatever it may be - Sparkles sells heroin and cocaine (Penny is a cocaine addict I think....) - is much more serious than this film seems to think it is. Penny hasn't used in days, and at one point, after the happenings of the day, she proclaims that "[she] doesn't feel like using." This is simply a glossed over version of addiction - true addiction isn't nearly so easy to quit, you can't stop, you'll do anything to get your fix, and hurt people you care about.

I believe the intent here is good. I believe the filmmakers wanted to show the harrowing aspects of drug addiction, along with providing a comedic backdrop with which to tell the story. Unfortunately, they got many aspects confused. It's comedy in the wrong moments, and drama when we don't want it. The funniest parts, involving Sparkles (Tracy Morgan) and his friend, vanish when those characters do, and after that I wondered why they were involved in this plot to begin with. They enter and exit with little impact.

Jesse Eisenberg is a great actor. He proved that in one of the best films of all time, The Social Network. Here, he exhibits the same ability to deliver fast-paced dialogue, but it isn't the same at all. Melissa Leo is a fine actress, but she has a tendency to go over-the-top (Red State). I hope to see more films from this bunch, but hope they don't gloss over the dark realities of drug addiction like this film. It's a serious issue, and if you (welcomely) want to bring comedy into the mix, you better know how to tread that line.

**/****