Silver Linings Playbook
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Di Niro, Jaci Weaver
Directed by David O. Russell
Eight months after finding his wife with another man, Pat (Bradley Cooper) is released from a mental institution for his bipolar disorder, and returns to his hometown in Philadelphia to live with his mother Dolores (Jaci Weaver) and father Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro). Pat's wife now has a restraining order on him, but he feels like he can get back together with her, even though he deals constantly with his bipolar disorder. Mental illness runs in the family, as Pat Sr. suffers from OCD, and is a chronic gambler, often gambling on the Eagles which jeopardizes his family's finances.
He goes to his friend's house for dinner, and meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has troubles of her own - her husband died, and she hides the pain with sexual addiction and relative negativity. The two become friends after Pat discovers Tiffany can give his wife, Nikki, letters from him. In return, Pat agrees to dance with Tiffany in a freestyle dance competition, and soon attractions begin to develop between the two, even as Pat struggles with his bipolar disorder and his desires to reconcile with his wife. Meanwhile, the family begins to crumble as wrong choices are made, resulting in higher stakes in the dance competition than anyone previously thought.
When I first heard of this film, I figured it would be just another romantic comedy with the same old predictable storyline and sub-par acting. Then I saw the Oscar nominations, and this film received eight nominations, and the first time since "Reds" in 1981 did all four actors (Cooper, Lawrence, Di Niro, Weaver) receive nominations in their respective acting categories, along with director David O. Russell and the coveted Best Picture nomination. That's when I began to think there's more to this film than I expected.
The story was moving, stirring and, at some moments, unintentionally humorous. Dealing with mental issues is no laughing matter, and this film takes it seriously with the performances, especially Bradley Cooper, who steps out of his "Hangover" role to chew on some thicker acting meat.
Jennifer Lawrence clearly deserves her Oscar win for Best Actress for this film, as she goes through a wide range of emotions and powerful performances, but she's already proven herself as a Hollywood powerhouse, being nominated for Best Actress for her first film in "Winter's Bone," as well as bringing to life the heroic Katness in "The Hunger Games," and seeing her in a more adult role here showcases her effortless talent.
Robert Di Niro and Jaci Weaver round out the perfect cast as the long-suffering parents of an adult child with bipolar disorder. Their performances, although diminished, are still none the more powerful, especially the scenes with Di Niro and Cooper (who both worked together in "Limitless"), showing a true father-son bond.
"Silver Linings Playbook" is much more than a typical romantic comedy, and a rare gem in the realms of cinema.
Rating: A
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