Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I have sold out and gone all mainstream in a bid to attract the Oscar crowd. And you may be right. BUT this movie fits my code, in that whilst it’s not a horror film or in the IMDB Top 250 (or the version I used from last year, it will be a mainstay in the real 250 for a long time I imagine), it does fit nicely into my Project: De Niro, where I attempt to watch all the great mans movies. The fact that the Oscars are happening tonight is just a HUGE coincidence. Kind of. Anyway, moving on.

Whilst I’m a little late to the party with this movie (for reasons above) I have finally got round to watching it. I’ll be totally honest, if it wasn’t for all the good press my idol De Niro is getting for his role, I probably wouldn’t have watched this. And boy would I have missed out. Silver Linings Playbook is excellent, and for a man who normally only enjoys films with a high death count, this was just such a treat to watch.

It doesn’t start in a happy place. We meet Pat (Bradley Cooper), a former teacher who has been confined to a mental heath clinic after almost beating the lover of his wife to death. Against doctor’s orders he’s been signed out by his mother (Jacki Weaver) and escorted through the suburbs of Philadelphia to see how he copes with being back in the family nest.

Once back at home he is full of positive energy and goes running every day, reading more than ever, but it’s all a front. He’s becoming increasingly obsessed and delusional, convinced that his marriage is still fine and he can still win his wife back. He just so happens to meet the similarly damaged Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is still trying to cope after the death of her husband. The interaction and chemistry between these two characters is superb, and it was just a joy to watch them working together. The majority of the movie then shows the pair learning to dance, for lots of reasons, but ultimately because Pat thinks this will help him win back his wife. Tiffany has different motives though.

I may be biased, but the highlight of the film is anytime Pat Snr (Robert De Niro) is on-screen. He is a bookmaker and superstitious sports nut who wants to reconnect with his son through a shared love of the Philadelphia Eagles. Again, De Niro and Cooper just worked so well together, and the fight scene between the two is emotional but funny at the same time.

Rounded out with a great support cast, with people like Pat’s older brother (Shea Whigham, who I loved in Splinter), his friend from hospital who loves to break out (Chris Tucker) and as a nice surprise for me as a Sopranos fan, Pat Snr’s bookmaker friend Randy (Paul Herman – or Beansie!). There were no weak links, and just perfect casting all round.

De Niro here reminded me so much of his Gil Renard character in The Fan. Just absolutely obsessed with his team, and full of quirks and OCD tendencies in the hope of giving his team the luck to win. It is so good to see him give this kind of performance. A lot of younger film lovers only know De Niro as the guy from Meet The Parents or stuff like that, but to me he is the hero that gave that the cinema loving world so many incredible characters like Travis Bickle and the young Vito Corleone. Seeing him act with this passion and intensity was inspiring and I’m not going to lie, I got a little emotional when I saw he was nominated for the Oscar for his performance here. I know he won’t win, but it’s nice just to see him getting some recognition.

Silver Linings Playbook is all about the relationship between Cooper and Lawrence though. I have been a big fan of Bradley Cooper for a long time. He was hilarious as the asshole in Wedding Crashers, and superb in the little known horror Midnight Meat Train. He is finally getting lead roles thanks to his Hangover movies, but here he gives easily the best performance of his career so far. Playing a character with Bipolar, he goes through all the emotions and his brutal honesty is refreshing and gives the film so much humour.

Opposite him is rising star Jennifer Lawrence. I can’t think of anyone who is not only as beautiful as she is but so watchable, and her performance has been critically adored. I can’t wait to see her roles in the future, and being so young, the world is surely at her feet. Like Cooper, she plays a damaged character but offers enough humour to still like her even when she does some questionable things. Have I mentioned she is beautiful? What a great messed up screen couple these two make, and watching them together was just so much fun. Especially her scene storming into Pats house and setting Pat Snr straight on a few things. Then drinking a beer. What a girl!

I try and steer clear of technical things in my reviews. Mainly because I don’t have the technical gift or knowledge other bloggers have when it comes to using fancy words and describing a films look or the directors background and styles. Tarantino and Scorsese aside, I don’t know what styles to look out for or notice. I’m just a guy who likes movies, and I try and offer up my thoughts without spoiling anything. That is why I can’t go into detail on how this work fits in with the director David O. Russell’s previous work and style like I’ve seen a lot of people do. I will say the film looked beautiful, and the script which was adapted from a book I believe, gave me so many funny moments which I really wasn’t expecting. The soundtrack is also fantastic! The film isn’t all sunshine though, there are obviously some serious undertones to it, but it highlights the craziness in a good way and shows how positive and energizing it can be.

Whilst I certainly won’t spoil anything, the only complaint I’ve seen people use for Silver Linings was the ending. For me, it ended perfectly and the only way I wanted it to. Pat even reads out the ending 15 minutes into the film, and his reaction on how certain tales should end shows us viewers how this story will play out. I have no complaints about the movie at all, and can’t wait to watch it again. And whilst an 8 might not seem high, it’s a high 8 out of 10. More like an 8.9 out of 10. But Casino is a 9, and this isn’t quite at that level. In my score system anyway! I hope this does well at tonight’s awards, and you will hear the biggest cheer from my house if Bobby springs a surprise and picks up a statue!

Posted by Tysoncarter182 on February 24, 2013

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