Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Going into Silver Linings Playbook, I literally had no idea what to expect…I knew absolutely nothing about it, aside from the fact that it was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards and that the lead actors were also nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress. With Robert De Niro in a supporting role (also nominated for an Academy Award, I might add), how could I not expect this to be good? Though I didn’t know what to think halfway through it (what the heck was going on?!), everything eventually came together, making Silver Linings Playbook truly worthy of its nominations.

Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a man suffering from bipolar disorder who has just left a mental hospital after being there for eight months. He has lost his wife and his job, so he lives with his parents and fantasizes about reuniting with his wife one day after proving that he has defeated his bipolar disorder, but he continues to struggle with his disorder. Things start to look better when he meets Tiffany Maxwell, played by Jennifer Lawrence, a woman who has just lost her husband and her job, making the pair kindred spirits. As their friendship grows, they both continue to fight to be understood and to improve their lives.

Much of this film is pretty disjointed; though I questioned it at times and was initially considering commenting on that aspect negatively, it was the incoherence of everything and the lack of sense from some of the characters – De Niro’s character (Pat’s father) is highly superstitious to the point of being crazy, Cooper’s character is just plain crazy, and Lawrence’s character is sometimes terrifying for no apparent reason – that made me all the more sympathetic to their situations. Mr. Solitano’s superstition is an outward expression of his desire to reconcile and spend time with his son, Pat’s mood swings are directly attributed to his love for his wife and his desire to be with her again, and Tiffany’s anger is a result of the death of her husband and need for someone to watch over her. It’s the eccentricities of these characters that makes them so fascinating, and it’s their interactions with each other that propels the film forward; the pace of the film is never rushed, nor does it drag, using the quirks of the characters to set this comedy apart from other comedies.

Really, there isn’t too much else to say. Everyone involved does a fantastic job, with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence being incredibly well-deserving of their Academy Award nominations; while I don’t think that Bradley Cooper will win Best Actor (I think he would if Daniel Day-Lewis wasn’t nominated for his performance in Lincoln), I believe that Lawrence walking away with the award is definitely a possibility. This film is happy, it’s sad, and it will make you laugh, though it’ll be for different reasons than if you were to see any other typical comedy that Hollywood usually produces. With a surprisingly refreshing score from Danny Elfman (the last composer I ever thought I’d say that about), Silver Linings Playbook delivers a touching story with unorthodox characters and top-notch comedy and drama, bringing the two genres together in a way that works amazingly well.

-Chad

Rating: 5 (out of 5)

MPAA: R – for language and some sexual content/nudity