It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Eli Bloom (Jesse Eisenberg) is a piano protégé being dragged into an audition to a fancy music school. Instead, his main concern is trying to push his mother Penny Bloom (Melissa Leo) into drug rehab. She constantly refuses to go while trying to score as they drive around with drug dealer Sprinkles (Tracy Morgan).Tracy Morgan is completely miscasted. I keep thinking this is a joke but he's never funny. In fact, the whole movie is like that. Jesse and Melissa play very annoying characters. They almost never do things that they're suppose to do. It's so frustrating that any joke never comes off properly. This was suppose to be wacky especially with the revolutionary war re-enactors but I never laughed once. At the core of this, basically how are we supposed to laugh at people who are so self-defeating.

'WHY STOP NOW': Four Stars (Out of Five)Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo and Tracy Morgan star in this comedy-drama film about family love and addiction. It was written and directed by freshman feature filmmakers Phil Dorling and Ron Nyswaner and is adapted from their 2008 short film 'PREDISPOSED' (which also featured Melissa Leo in the same role). It tells the story of a piano prodigy trying to get his drug dependant mother the help she needs and move on with his life. He ends up at odds with her former drug dealer who he also ends up helping. The film is well written and acted and is a surprisingly good time (despite it's lack of promotion). Eisenberg plays Eli Bloom, a very talented piano prodigy who works as a supermarket clerk and lives with his drug addicted mother, Penny (Leo), and kid sister Nicole (Emma Rayne Lyle). Eli has been helping his mom out with Nicole and not pursued his own ambitions so when an audition to get into a well respected music conservatory comes up he jumps at the opportunity to take it and move on with his life. First he wants to get his mother the help she needs though and schedules her an appointment at a local rehab for drug abuse. Eli has a weekend drinking problem himself (which is something I can relate to) and gets trashed the night before his audition, embarrassing himself in front of the girl he likes (Sarah Ramos). His mother is rejected from the rehab center as well due to the fact that she pisses clean and has no insurance. A nurse (Jayce Bartok) informs her if she gets high and pisses dirty he can admit her so Eli and Penny go to Penny's drug dealer 'Sprinkles' (Morgan) for drugs and Eli ends up helping him translate with his supplier (Paul Calderon) in order to get the drugs they need.The film had a limited theatrical run last August before being dumped on video with little to no publicity. Having seen the film now I have a hard time understanding why. I was expecting a poorly executed dumb comedy but instead found it extremely enjoyable. Eisenberg is one of my favorite actors and he doesn't disappoint here. He's relatable, funny and gives the film the right amount of heart that it needs. Melissa Leo is always good as well and makes a likable yet flawed mother once again here. I'm not a fan of Tracy Morgan at all and was expecting him to ruin this film but he's likable as well. In the right role, when he's not overacting, he's actually pretty good and he's funny and likable here for a change. For me the movie was nicely directed and just hit all the right notes. I probably enjoyed it more because I had such low expectations but it is a good film.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcoZRlVFMzA

Funny little comedy with some meaningful dramatic moments and some self-help ideas incorporated, "Why Stop Now" has Jesse Eisenberg playing Eli, a piano prodigy who's struggling to enter into a great music school (which he can get it by performing at an audition) and many problems to solve at home, one them is to take his mother (Melissa Leo) to a rehabilitation clinic to cure her drug addiction. However, when she's rejected there due to her results came back negative from drug use, Eli will find a way to put her in there even if it takes to meet her messy drug suppliers (Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) and join them in a bizarre journey and a very unlikely friendship between everyone involved. Kind of a funny story yet a very strange proposition the directors and writers are making to us. The whole thing involving Eli trying to put his mom in the hospital in such a hurried and problematic way would work better in a dramatic piece; in here, it almost gets controversial, not comical and it slows the film a little. But it manages to stay positive and be positive, anyway. It's more about being just a barrel of laughters, it has a purpose. It's a story about taking chances, doing some changes in the game and be focused in what you really want. The characters are all driven to those things, into rebuilding the moment in which they are to become better individuals. Sounds corny but it doesn't look all that, and there's plenty of humored moments to fill in the middle of those helpful parts. I think this could be said of this film: it's a group therapy located out of a rehabilitation center and with plenty of craziness in the between "sessions". Worths giving a try more because of the stars in it than the plot itself (this story made a few years ago would be great; now it's almost too much clichéd). Morgan makes almost his usual routine in terms of comedy except he has some good dramatic scenes; Whitlock was good, given a few good lines here and there, nothing like his priceless character in "Cedar Rapids"; and the best in the show are Leo and Eisenberg, mostly Jesse, who not only is the funniest on scene (thankfully to a lot of cussing moments and his fast delivery speech which always works nicely) but also he seems to be quite a skillful piano player, executing marvelous pieces.Not amusing as it could and should be, or greatly bright in its serious issues, "Why Stop Now" is a fun picture, very handy these days when all you see is special effects thrown at you and no character development whatsoever. There's life in this. 8/10

The three lead actors all play to their strengths: Jesse Eisenberg as the gifted prodigy who must overcome his weaknesses, Tracy Morgan as the off-kilter small town drug dealer who succumbed to his, and best, Melissa Leo as a druggie mom trying (and not trying) to keep her self and her family together. The movie kind of has a Weeds meets the Station Agent vibe to it as disparate characters are thrown together and learn to get along. The weakness might be in the writing. Some scenes feel contrived as if to move along the plot, while others are great set pieces. There is a Revolutionary War re-enactors subplot that seems thrown in to give the movie some additional quirkiness (Mr. Black's Miss Muppet line is funny). Tracy Morgan throws in some good ad-libs (when he bumps up against Leo's mom is when the movie starts to hit the mark). Eisenberg can get annoying (or maybe it's just the characters he plays). All in all a good if not great little indie movie.