Silver Linings Playbook

[baumer]

Discuss

[Gopher]

For an hour and a half or so it's a really solid David O. Russell movie with great performances and dialogue/situations that feel organic. Like a screwball comedy with an interesting twist (the bipolar thing). Then it becomes a predictable romcom, which isn't entirely uninvolving but it loses some goodwill. But it's a fun film. Jennifer Lawrence is hawt.

[JackO]

The Silver Linings Playbook is the story about a previously institutionalized guy, Pat, (Brad Cooper) who is trying to put his life back together and along the way he meets his friend's wife's sister, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who just lost her husband. Together they try to find the silver lining in all the madness that is their life.Firstly, no review of this movie would be complete without mentioning what could be Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar winning performance. She does everything here. Her character is assertive, shows all range of emotion, and pretty much owns every scene she is in. Even in a scene with DeNiro, Cooper, and Weaver, the focus is on her. She owns this movie. Specifically, that scene I really loved was after the fight in the stadium. Pat senior (Robert de Niro), who is n OCD Eagles fan/bookie is so pissed that his good luck charm, his son Pat, just lost the Eagles game for him where he bet the farm and he blames it on his friendship with Tiffany. But Pat Jr. was supposed to help Tiffany work on her big move that day so she come barging into the house yelling at him. Obviously she has to defend herself for ruining the Eagles ju ju. Her monologue about the scores when she was with Pat and the New York motto is the craziest and funniest thing ever. And all the little quips by onlooking family members and friends make it all better.Also, playing way against type, is Bradley Cooper. Gone is the swarmy obnoxiousness from Hangover. Enter is a guy who is really messed up (undiagnosed bipolar disorder) and yes, he went full retard. In that, early on it seems like he has this workout routine and sayings like Excelsior to make himself feel better. But we learn that does not always work out and it usually occurs at 3 o'clock at night, much to the behest of neighboors, his parents, and the Officer Keogh.Someone that I noticed in first viewing but really exploded in 2nd viewing was Chris Tucker. His character Danny, is not just comic relief. He also adds to the combustible mixture of characters that always ends up exploding. And that's why the film works so well. The chemical mixtures are constantly exploding and usually when it is least expected.But this movie is enjoyable even without those earnest performances since the story and the situations these two characters find themselves in are so dramatic and crazy, it has to be seen to believe. The running joke of the Eagles, the cop, and kid with the camera doing a school project next door all work and all ramp up the stakes as story progresses.This movie also does a great job playing poker. By setting the two leads at odds with each other, it keeps the predictable out of sight and out of mind. Instead of worrying about the inevitable, you are paying attention to the why the inevitable happens. In usual boilerplate comedy, the obstacles are tried and true. In SLP, there isn't any obstacles since they both, in their weird way are taken. Not physically, but mentally. I would even go so far to say that, Pat's friend's Ronnie's relationship with a wife is in a way a reflection of both of their "marriages" since we see an overly angelic photo of him and his wife but it is anything but. There is not always a silver lining to everything but you can make something good out of something bad: Excelsior!In the end, this is one of the few movies I could watch over and over again. The kinetic frantic manic energy of the pacing along with the powerful and funny performances across the board has made this one of the top films I have seen this year.A+!

[Travod]

I'll keep it shorter by saying Jennifer Lawrence is great but I don't think her role is very flashy. Her voice can't go high enough to scream so those scenes are just completely awkward. Bradley Cooper was the best part of the movie by far, followed by Robert De Niro.

[acsc1312]

I'm so glad this met and exceeded my high expectations. Man, Russell has really hit his stride with the Fighter and now this. The pacing is absolutely perfect throughout the film (which I felt was an improvement from the Fighter). There was never a moment where I felt bored or wanted the movie to end. Lawrence turns in a phenomenal performance. The diner scene and after had me in awe of her. Cooper was surprisingly great as well. I think both deserve Oscar noms for their work. DeNiro is good, but I don't think there's enough aside from the sentimental scene to get him into major award contention. My picks for noms: Picture, director, actor, actress, screenplay. Best film of the year for me so far.A

[acsc1312]

Also, can I just say that Russell knows how to build up an ending?! My heart was pumping before the dance just like it was before the final fight in the Fighter.

[cozmeesah]

I totally agree that both Lawrence & Cooper deserve noms.

[victoriastone14]

I have given A.

[The Futurist]

Those reviews make me want to kill puppies.

[CoolioD1]

It may turn to standard romcom at the end, but during the end I felt that disgusting, warm feeling of joy in my heart that I don't get often watching a romantic comedy these days. This does such a good job of making me care for those two nutjobs, and even all their nutjob friends and family. The kinda frantic energy that O. Russell brought to direct it really helps it stand out in a glorious unique way as well.

[cozmeesah]

I don't know about anyone else, but I had a smile on my face the entire time. Except for the couple emotional parts of course.

[The Futurist]

Please, protect those puppies, they have done anything wrong but ...

[cozmeesah]

Glad to see that the National Bipolar Foundation loved this film. I was worried that the mental illness foundation people would be angry or say it was trying to exploit mental illness without having actually seen it.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1897752&l=ab42ac3c48&id=49588549983

Saw Silver Linings Playbook yesterday. An absolute must see. I think Cooper portrayed his character of a man with bipolar disorder quite well. There were accurate examples of the stigma he encountered, his successes pointed out along with his shortcomings, and the bp symptoms were not over the top. (I realize everyone experiences symptoms differently, but for the public's view, it was appropriate). Several characters in the movie has a mental health issue, all well done!! Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?

Also, Twitter reactions are gauged at 95% positive right now. Though, when looking, I don't see any negative ones myself. I would say the Cinemascore has a very good chance of being an A+. DEFINITELY at least an A. Edited November 23, 2012 by Cozmees Everdeen

[acsc1312]

If this gets an A+ cinemascore it's on like donkey kong.

[RichWS]

It's a solid B. The whole thing was very formulaic, but enjoyable. The last 15 minutes is when it really came alive for me. It's corny and cliched, yet that's when it finally clicked. It becomes the familiar romance it was meant to be. Cooper was tops.

Edited November 27, 2012 by RichWS

[rockNrollaDIM]

It falls into cliche rom-com territory in the second half but it's hard to give a shit about that, because the whole thing is really engaging and overall pretty excellent. I loved it. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper were fantastic. There were elements of this film, like Perks, that were unnervingly relatable. First reaction is top 3 for the year, not sure where exactly but I think I enjoyed Perks just a bit more.8.5/10 (A)

[baumer]

Pat is a man who has just been released from a mental institution after 8 months. He was in one because he came home early from work one day, heard his wedding song playing and found his wife banging the history teacher in the shower. In a momentary lapse of judgment and an obvious crime of passion, Pat nearly beat the guy to death. Upon getting out of the institution, his main goal is to rebuild his relationship with his wife, who now has a restraining order on him.Enter in Tiffany, who is a recent widow. Her husband got hit by a car after going to Victoria's Secret to buy lingerie for his wife in hopes of spicing up their sex life, which Tiffany had turned off after 3 years of marriage. Then you have Pat Sr. and Dolores, Pat's parents. Pat Sr. has lost his pension because of the financial crash and now runs a bookie business and his wife supports him for doing so. Pat feels that his son is a good luck charm and wants him to stay close during Eagles games as his presence helps the Eagles win.Then you have Pat's friend who has made big money because of the financial crash by flipping houses. But with the this new found wealth he feels stressed, restricted and ready to bash things at any given moment.There are other bit characters in the film as well and when you throw all this into the blender and you have one of the best films of the year. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro give outstanding performances and I believe all three will get oscar nominations this year. All three of them simply own these roles. But more than just the incredible acting, this is an incredibly emotionally engaging story. In here you have two very damaged people who find ways to help each other. And even though Pat might seem to be a loose cannon, if you look at the people around him, they are no different. I have always believed that humans walk a fine line between sanity and insanity. There's a Tragically Hip song that says, "Everyone's got their breaking point, for me it's spiders, for you it's me." Profound in that I believe this to be true. We do all have our breaking points. For Pat, walking in on his wife and seeing another man performing with his mouth on her private parts in the shower, while his wedding song was playing, was enough to push him over the edge. And if that is what it takes to send you over that precipice, how do you recover? This movie explores that journey, and it's not an easy one. Pat doesn't get better over night, or after 8 months or even after spending a few months with Tiffany. It's hard work, but eventually, the human spirit will find ways to mend itself. I have a friend who gained 150 pounds in a matter of about 18 months. He used to be model good looking. And then something or rather several things tested his mettle. And he lost. For 8 years he kept the 325 pounds on, he drank, he smoked and he was lazy. And then one day he just woke up and decide he'd had enough and he lost the 125 pounds and stopped smoking and drinking and now he's back to his old self. It's like Pat in this film. He has to work at it. The human psyche is fragile and sometimes it needs to reboot. This film is that journey to reboot.In a way, this film reminds me of Perks of Being a Wallflower....but for a different age group. Both are in my top three of the year. One is about discovering who you are at a young age and the journey that ensues. The other is discovering who you are at an older age, and the journey that ensues to make yourself better. Both are brilliant and poignant and brought a lump to my throat. Silver Linings also brought a tear to my eye. It's truly a remarkable film.One final note. There are those of you who say it goes typically predictable or cliche at the end and I disagree with this completely. It is the opposite of cliche. This is a film about a journey and to have them not end up together would be a travesty. Their courtship and ultimate pairing was part of the journey to make them whole again. That is not cliche, that is just brilliant writing.10/10

[Gopher]

There are those of you who say it goes typically predictable or cliche at the end and I disagree with this completely. It is the opposite of cliche. This is a film about a journey and to have them not end up together would be a travesty. Their courtship and ultimate pairing was part of the journey to make them whole again. That is not cliche, that is just brilliant writing.

I liked the movie, but I don't understand what you mean here. I'm more than fine with Cooper/Lawrence ending up together but I found the setup of the big dance/big game climax lazy. As if they needed a big finale and made the characters devise one themselves. And from there on it doesn't seem like they have mental issues when those issues had plagued both of them up until then... they could have pulled most of the last half hour of the film out of any rom-com. But I think the first 90 minutes is smart and daring enough to make the whole film really work for me.

[cozmeesah]

I'm sorry... I just saw someone call this movie "depressing." No. Just no. Opinions are one thing, but there is just no way you can call this film depressing. No.And sorry but... why exactly are the NFL corporate guys mad at this film? Because it contains some parts about people betting on football? Oh say it ain't so. Cuz no one knows that people bet on the NFL or anything. WTF? And Harvey says that he knows of 3 or 4 team owners who all loved the film. So the league officials need to go sit down some where.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Cozmees Everdeen

[baumer]

I'm sorry... I just saw someone call this movie "depressing." No. Just no. Opinions are one thing, but there is just no way you can call this film depressing. No.And sorry but... why exactly are the NFL corporate guys mad at this film? Because it contains some parts about people betting on football? Oh say it ain't so. Cuz no one knows that people bet on the NFL or anything. WTF? And Harvey says that he knows of 3 or 4 team owners who all loved the film. So the league officials need to go sit down some where.

Fact:If there wasn't a way to bet on every single tiny thing in the NFL, it wouldn't be any bigger than basketball. The NFL thrives because of betting. Pretending it doesn't is insulting.