Jesse Eisenberg and Tracy Morgan deal some drugs and life lessons in this trailer for WHY STOP NOW

We’ve seen lots of films over the years where the main characters are on some kind of Need for Weed quest to get high, but I can’t recall ever hearing of a film where a rather upstanding young man teams up with a drug dealer to get his mom high, so that he can help her pull her life together.

But that’s exactly what Jesse Eisenberg needs to do in this new indie dramedy straight out of Sundance, Why Stop Now.

While Jesse Eisenberg may not exactly be the first name that springs to mind when you think “drug movie”, he does seem to inhabit the role extremely well. And by inhabit the role, I mean that he is once again playing the same character we’ve seen him do so many times, but he’s so damn good at it, that you somehow don’t care.

And after Melissa Leo’s Oscar nominated turn as the hillbilly matriarch in The Fighter, she should be able to do this one in her sleep, my only concern here is Tracy Morgan who’s had a very hit-and-miss track record. He’s generally funny in small doses, but exposure over a prolonged period of time can quickly grate on your nerves. There is something inherently right though about the fact that his character is named “Sprinkles”.

And before I get drawn and quartered by the grammar police: no, there actually isn’t a question mark at the end of the film’s title. I know, I know, it’s making my eye twitch as well.

Synopsis:

“Why Stop Now” tells the bittersweet story of Eli Smith (Eisenberg), a piano prodigy, and his mother Penny (Leo) who despite her cheerful, loving disposition, struggles with drug addiction. On the day of his audition for a prestigious music program, Eli’s mother plans to enter rehab, but a glitch in the system forces them to enlist the help of an unlikely ally, her drug dealer Sprinkles (Morgan). Circumstances conspire that turn them into a comical yet determined band of collaborators who are forced to deal with their internal demons over the course of the day.

Last Updated: July 5, 2012