Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is proof that it is possible to do something interesting with the romance genre while still holding true to the inherited conventions. To make a successful romance film there needs to be three basic elements that the rest of the film can build upon: well crafted characters, chemistry between them, and a solid and interesting story to carry them through to the inevitable conclusion. This movie has these elements in spades and adds to it an interesting look at mental illness and a good solid dose of comedy to keep things from being dour and depressing. The sum of all of this equals out to a very good movie that only stumbles over the clichéd tropes of the genre in the final act.  

Pat Solitano Jr (Bradley Cooper) has spent the last eight months in a mental health facility for bipolar disorder after he brutally assaulted his wife’s lover when he caught them in the act. He is released into the care of his parents with the understanding that he must stay on his medications and attend therapy sessions. His mother (Jacki Weaver) is trying to reconnect with her son and his father (Robert De Niro), who has a touch of OCD himself, seems only interested in spending time with him if it involves the Philadelphia Eagles games, something Pat Jr has little interest in. His ex-wife, Nikki (Brea Bee) has taken a restraining order out on him preventing him from contacting her in any way but a mutual acquaintance, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), may be a way around that little roadblock.

Tiffany has some mental issues of her own. Her husband has recently died and to cope with the loss she slept with everyone at her job until it got her fired. Her first meeting with Pat ends when she propositions him for sex, something he rejects outright, still pining for his ex-wife. They will continue to run into each other and eventually he will discover that he can sneak a letter to Nikki through her. Tiffany agrees to do this in exchange for his participation as her dance partner in a local competition. He has no interest in this but agrees anyway so that she’ll deliver the letter. Little does he know that Tiffany is falling in love with him. 

This film is billed as a romantic comedy and it does have those comedic elements to it but they come naturally to the story, not artificially injected into the plot. It also takes the mental illness plot line seriously, not playing it up for jokes. Pat’s breakdown is depicted through a series of brief flashbacks, none of which gives us a look at the assault in any real detail. It doesn’t sugar coat the assault either, though. It is ugly and dark and threatens to paint Pat in an unsympathetic light. Having him come upon his wife in the shower with another man helps us stay on his side even though we cannot condone his violent outburst. We also get no scenes of the couple in happier times and thus have no idea what may have led her to the infidelity in the first place. Outside of these flashbacks we only ever see Nikki in the finale where she will remain a non-entity in this picture. 

This is not really a movie about Pat and Nikki and what went wrong in their marriage and consequently zero time is spent on that. Pat begins exercising in the mornings, jogging through the neighborhood, which Tiffany uses as an opportunity to bump into him regularly.  They both struggle with mental disorders which leads to some humorous conversations, particularly one where they compare prescriptions. His determination to get back with his ex keeps standing in the way, though. She takes his letter for Nikki and forges a reply to string him along but secretly she hopes he will get a clue and figure out Nikki has moved on.

The finale is a bit on the rote side. There could have been a better focus on Pat learning to cope with his bipolar disorder but instead this topic seems to get dropped in the final half hour in favor of a more conventional ending. Pat Sr has wagered a large amount of money on a football game, a bet that also includes the outcome of the dance competition his son and Tiffany are in. Pat Jr wants to drop out of it but Tiffany and his parents conspire to lie saying Nikki will be there. When Nikki actually is there he finally realizes that he loves Tiffany instead and needs to move on from his ex. The typical misunderstandings occur followed by a confrontation where Pat has to chase Tiffany down in the streets and profess his love for her. It’s a feel good moment that has all the genre clichés in the book making it a bit of a letdown to an otherwise superbly written film. 

Silver Linings Playbook proved that Bradley Cooper was more than just a run-of-the-mill comedy actor. This was the film that got the Academy to stand up and notice that he had some serious dramatic chops. He would go on to be nominated for twelve Academy Awards over the next decade for his acting directing and writing skills. Unfortunately he has yet to take home a statue from all of this. It all started here, though. This is the film that caught critics’ and audiences’ attention. The Hangover may have made him famous but Silver Linings Playbook propelled him even further, making him a star and someone to watch out for whenever he showed up in something new. With all those nominations and more sure to come it’s only a matter of time before he finally gets to take one home.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti and Jonathan Gordon

Best Director: David O. Russell

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (won)

Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro

Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver

Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell

Best Film Editing: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers

____________________________________________________

Release Date: November 16, 2012

Running Time: 122 Minutes

Rated R

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher and Chris Tucker

Directed By: David O. Russell