Silver Linings Playbook

Reviewed by Danny the Demented
Updated Feb 24 2013

In a world filled with junks and crap and collections of gibberish calling themselves movies, the real silver-lining is that works like Silver Linings Playbook still exist, rare though they are. A true gem, this is a movie that inspires with courage, with love, with laughter and with tears. In both the most quirky and yet conventional way, the film gives you hope, which is of course the only silver lining we need in life. 

Silver Linings Playbook is an eccentric love story between Pat (Bradly Cooper), a person with bipolar disorder who was just released from a mental institution for almost beating his wife's lover to death, and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow who lost not only her husband but also her job for dealing with her loss in the most inappropriate possible at the workplace. With their emotional baggage, both Pat and Tiffany are constant worries for their families and friends.  How they help each other through every hardship, every turmoil, every breaking point, is the backbone of this amazing tale. A journey filled with unexpected turns, the pot at the end of this rainbow is a treasure of immeasurable joy.  

A tour de force, director David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees, The Fighter) brings all the craziness of every character and plot & subplot into a perfectly timed and paced stew. The film is fast but it slows when it's appropriate to allow the audience the time to soak everything in. Prolonged shots of scenery are used periodically in between conflicts and encounters to properly distribute the richness of the narrative.  Storytelling of the highest caliber, this movie is Mr.Russell's magnum opus. 

It's as if it wasn't enough to have a perfectly told story, the level of acting is nothing short of amazing as well. Bradly Cooper has his breakout role here as far as I am concerned with the erratic performance as the earnest but hotheaded Pat. Robert De Niro is the football-maniac dad who loves his son, and his speech near the end of the film is heart-meltingly beautiful. The performance serves as a timely reminder to the younger generation that ,De Niro can still be great when he wants to be (yes I am still haunted by Stardust, my goodness what were you thinking???). Chris Tucker as Pat's friend Danny did an impeccable job rather than his usual Rush Hour nonsense, great to see him be subtle when needed. Jacki Weaver gives a remarkable performance as Pat's mother. She did not have many lines, but every look she gives her son Pat is filled with infinite love and limitless care and just a restrained hint of longing for Pat's happiness. 

But the brightest of the brights is the unmatched Jennifer Lawrence. To stand out in this amazing ensemble cast seems impossible but she does it with haunting ease. She is a vision, she is a sight, she is the eighth wonder of the world. At the mere age of 22, she is a bona fide STAR. Not only was she breathtaking in the movie, she lets her emotion run wild in a measured and calculated manner, and she does this while looking fabulous in every, single, shot. A performance of manipulated madness and tenderness, only a truly great actress is capable of delivering it. To give the Academy Award's Best Actress to anyone else will be sacrilege. 

What I loved most about the movie is that it has no villain, no de facto antagonist playing against the protagonists.The closest thing that can be called a menace is perhaps Pat's bipolar disorder, or Tiffany's grieve, or to an extent Pat Sr.'s gambling. But somehow all these so-called "negatives" served at one point or another as tools to bring every character together, closer than ever. And that is real beauty. In real life, we don't run into Anton Chigurh or Hannibal Lecter. Like Pat and Tiffany, what most of us (not including you, Mr. Clooney you beautiful creature you) do is try to get through each day by dealing with life's obstacles in the best way possible. We make compromises for people we love,we accept the flaws of those we cared about, and likewise they do the same for us. We find silver linings in every frown and every cloud, and we do so by holding tightly to the hands of those dear to our hearts and souls. This is the essence of Silver Linings Playbook, and it is miraculous. 

A great story, with a great cast, and possibly the best dance scene since Pulp Fiction, this movie is the very definition of a must-see. My name is Danny and I endorse this message.