Review 216: Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful film and and one of the most quirky, poignant, sweet and feel good movies out there and one of David O. Russell's best films.

Based on the book The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything – his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother, Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and father Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) after spending eight months in a mental health facility. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious young woman with problems of her own, things get complicated.  As their relationship plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

The plot is beautifuly crafted and written, it's a story about the struggles, anxieties, disorders and obsessions of ordinary people, about how we can get so obsessed about certain things, we fail to notice the things that matter (Deep down, Pat is a wonderfuly sweet guy with a big heart and lots of love for his family and friends who's trying to do the best he can, but he's just so angry at the world and focussed on getting his wife back that his mind just doesn't function how it should; he's trapped inside it. As a result, he fails to notice hos growing feelings for Tiffany) and how we work together in love we can help each other out of sticky situations. The people that writer/director David O. Russell crafts in this film are extremely passionate about what they care about in their lives yet they are unstable. 

The film's portrayal of bipolar disorder is beautifully and distressingly accurate, Pat has periods of sleeplessness and paranoia, hatches wild plans to win back his wife in spite of her restraining order and resists taking medication. He blurts out his uncensored thoughts, flies into hair-triggered rages and hallucinates when stressed. He lacks insight into his effect on others and uses glib therapy-speak when he talks with them.

At the core of Silver Linings Playbook is a message that no matter who you are in this world, there is always someone great waiting for you who are just like you. This is an optimistic, uplifiting and heartwarming message that compliments the films more tragicom elements.

Writer/director David O. Russell direction is sensitive, the score by Danny Elfman is beautifully breathtaking, the Pennsylvania setting is inviting and appealing. The production design is terrific, the costume design is excellent, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed, it's beautifully shot, the soundtrack is terrific and the effect of the closing scene is emotionally satisfying.

The whole cast was wonderful, Bradley Copper and Jennifer Lawrence carry this movie on their  shoulders playing the characters of Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. and Tiffany Maxwell respectively.
Pat is someone who has lost everything he has and then he meets Tiffany whose a widow and they're both really unhappy in their lives. As the film progresses, they get to know each other and
Both give each other something that is missing in their lives and as the film goes on we realise that our two lead character have their own problems and we grow to care about them and hope they will solve their problems.

His search for the silver linings in life seems desperate, driven by a need to deny and avoid the presence of “negativity” wherever he sees it. The mannerisms

Cooper can go from being extremely volatile and reactive to being very kind and sensitive at the drop of hat.

Tiffany is widow who seems at a loss with life. That is until Pat comes into her life and she offers to help him get his wife back. She's a very tough, no nonsense sort of person but deep down, she cares about the people around her. People call her rude names and she owns it. She's pissed at Pat because of his obsession over his ex-wife.

But their co stars don't lag that far behind, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver are wonderful as Pat's parents, Dolores and Pat Sr. They want nothing but the best for him but he is so determined to run his own life that he won't listen to them. Dolores, notably, is stricken with anxiety but helps to engineer his budding romance with Tiffany. She's also the sane and caring woman and has had long experience in dealing with compulsive behavior from bother her husband and her son.

Pat Sr., meanwhile, just wants his so to have a positive life and stay home and not go out and try to hard too or too agressive to get his wife back which is understandable considering his disorder and the fact that he just got out of mental hospital. He want him to take it easy; one step at a time. Much like Pat and Tiffany, he too has his own little quirks and obsessions like how he's

Chris Tucker provides a great deal of warmth and humor playing Danny McDaniels, a good friend of Pat from the psychiatric hospital.

Julie Stiles, Shea Whigham and John Ortiz round out the films eclectic cast
 
Silver Linings Playbook is a distressing but heartfelt drama and a sign of what David O. Russell is capable of achieiving of, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.