Written by: David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher
Rating: [4.5/5]
Individuals deemed broken by societal standards find themselves on the journey towards mending themselves but cannot do it alone. They still need someone willing to understand them in a way others would not take the time to because of the emotional labor involved. As Silver Linings Playbook demonstrates, at times you might just need someone who matches the very same energy and snaps it right back to you making for a spectacular romantic comedy.
After his release from a mental health facility, as he battles with his bipolar disorder, Pat (Bradley Cooper) arrives back at home with his parents as he hopes to get his old life back along with his wife. As he fails to come to grips with the reality of his circumstance, he meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), who deals with her own issues following the death of her husband giving them the opportunity to bond.
Movies with major success have their reasons and main drivers towards it whether it’s the direction, writing, cinematography, sound, acting, costumes, or the various other areas comprising a film. For Silver Linings Playbook this comes from the acting category in the way these actors absolutely nail the complexity of these characters, the issues they carry, and ultimately what makes them worth rooting for. Having not read the source material but seeing how it all plays out in the film, this was no small feat.
At the center, we have Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of the protagonist and he does a fantastic job finding what makes Pat someone worth caring for even when he displays some troubling characteristics. This ultimately serves as quite the challenge for any actor portraying a character dealing with mental health issues when the actor themselves does not possess it. They toe this line of demonstrating the reality of the disorder while also not mocking it in the process and Cooper handles it all very well.
As well as Cooper does, this feature belongs to one person and that is Jennifer Lawrence. Ultimately winning her Academy Award for this film, Lawrence brings all of the manic energy necessary for this role while also supplying all of the heart. Her entrance into the story initially revolves around Pat’s friend Veronica (Julia Stiles) and all we get from her to start is her fiery personality she has no fear in displaying. Then we dive deeper into knowing her past, how she has gotten to this place in life, and what she hopes to attain through a friendship. While we can question why someone like Tiffany would pursue a guy like Pat, other than looking like Bradley Cooper, Lawrence sells this chemistry between the characters so well.
Thus we have this mostly one-sided whirlwind romance between Pat and Tiffany where the former tries to desperately get back with his wife wishing he could convince her he has gotten better and the latter attempts to assist but begins to develop feelings. A distinct sadness exists for them in those moments where we all know Pat has no chance to get back with his wife no matter how much he wishes and wants to will it into existence and then you have Tiffany wishing he would see the light. The plot ultimately hinges on whether Pat will fully realize what he has with Tiffany and not seek to make things work with someone destiny has evidently proved might not be best for him.
The narrative has such a kind soul in its exploration of the state of these characters and how they so passionately go after the things they want in life. Sometimes it may cause them to rage about it but there remains absolutely no question about how they feel. One rather intense obsession appears with Pat’s father of the same name portrayed by the legendary Robert De Niro. After many misses in this era of his career out of pure laziness, he decided to step into this role and reminds us why he’s one of the greatest actors to live. Portraying this superstitious Eagles-obsessed father brings out this ferociousness but also a warm center to this man. The level of superstition he carries about the Eagles borders on concerning, but I could not lie if I, at some point in my fervent sports fandom, engaged in familiar practices. Some of these included not watching certain games because I felt my watching negatively impacted the result. Quite the asinine belief to hold but when so entrenched in the results, these thoughts can’t help but begin to permeate your mind. Also, as a New York Giants fan, I did not enjoy all of the Philadelphia Eagles love in this movie that it almost made me dock it a point, but the Giants beat the Eagles in a pivotal game during this movie so I can forgive it. My apologies for the spoiler.
Getting quite hectic at times but having its heart in the right place Silver Linings Playbook is an absolute knockout. We get thsee incredible performances paired with such a vivacious story filled with all of the manic energy you could possibly want. Each of these characters have their distinct flaws but love remains between each of them and comes out in such heartwarming ways allowing us to get through the more difficult scenes where they lose their cool. A thoroughly enjoyable story filled with a plethora of euphoric moments as we root for these two to wise and find each other before it’s too late.
Films with Josh 
