¨The only way to beat my crazy was by doing something
even crazier. Thank you. I love you. I knew it from the moment I saw you. I’m
sorry it took me so long to catch up. ¨
Silver Linings
Playbook is director David O. Russell’s second straight Oscar nominated film
for Best Picture after the his critically acclaimed The Fighter. This film is
very different from his previous work although it also has to do with family
relationships in some sort of way. It is based on Matthew Quick’s novel of the
same name and the screenplay was adapted by Russell himself which resulted in a
really quirky but sharp script. There are plenty of hilarious moments in the
movie and Russell has really raised the bar for rom-coms by mixing it with some
realistic drama. These romantic comedies are very hard to come across these
days, but Russell manages to deliver a nearly perfect one thanks to his
sensitive direction. He did take a huge risk with this film considering its
thematic was a bit tricky since the main character does require some patience
and forgiveness from the viewer. He is not a very likeable character at the
beginning, but if you stick with him and give him a second chance he will win
you over. It is not easy to make a romantic film when you have two main
characters suffering from bipolar and OCD disorders, and on top of that mix it
with comedy, but Russell was very sensitive about the subject. I really love
Russell’s style of direction, and you either love his movies or hate them. I
really found this movie to be easy to connect with as it is a heartwarming and
funny story despite the complications and tricky subject matter. Critics are
calling this film crazy good, and I agree with them because it is deeply
romantic despite being strange and neurotic. Besides we are all a little crazy,
and I think Russell was pointing that out through every character in this film.
We are
introduced to Pat (Bradley Cooper) in the very first scene of the movie, who is
being discharged from a mental institution by his mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver)
against medical advice. Apparently Pat was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
after finding his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), having an affair with a fellow
co-worker and nearly beating him to death. He was sentenced to be
institutionalized for eight months, and after doing so his mother was free to
take him back to Philadelphia as long as he live with his parents and stayed
away from his wife who had placed a restraining order on him. Pat is received
with some surprise by his father, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro), who had no idea he
was coming home, but Is happy to have his son back who he considers a lucky
charm for the Eagles’ games. Pat Sr. is a very superstitious guy and after
losing his job he’s been making a living through sports gambling. Pat’s life
changes when he meets another troubled woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence)
who has recently become a widow and a sex addict. Pat desperately wants to get
back with Nikki and will do what it takes to win her back despite not being
able to get near her. Tiffany offers to give Nikki a letter from him if he
agrees to enter a dance competition with her for which they will have to
rehearse extensively. Both characters suffer several meltdowns and seem to have
some sort of shared neuroses, but in some odd way they end up helping one
another and struggle together to rebuild their lives.
This film
really deserves all the buzz that it received first from TIFF way back in
September, and then from its recent eight Oscar nominations, including the big
five (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) which hadn’t happened
since 2004 (Million Dollar Baby), and it also received Oscar nominations in all
four acting categories, which hadn’t happened since 1981 (Reds). The cast is
truly wonderful in this film, everyone gives such great performances. Bradley
Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence both expanded their range in this film and went
way out of their usual comfort zone creating some unique characters. Lawrence
especially surprised me with her quirky performance, and her entrance in the
film truly shifts the momentum of the movie. I was really not sold with Silver
Lining Playbook until she appeared giving Cooper´s character a lot more
likeability. I loved her in two scenes; the first being the one she has a
meltdown in the restaurant and goes off on Cooper and the second being the
confrontation she had with Pat Sr. For those two scenes alone, Lawrence could
win the Oscar. Cooper, De Niro, and Weaver were all outstanding as well. These
characters were all well drawn and the actors took advantage of that delivering
solid performances. The film has such a great pacing building the momentum up
to the very climactic ballroom dance routine. It was something special. The
message had a pretty positive outlook as Russell seemed to be reminding us that
we should all look for a partner that can coexist with our craziness and not
try to find one that will lead us out of it as we usually do. This was a great
and optimistic film that deserves all the buzz it has been receiving.
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