Review of Silver Linings Playbook (2012) by Chris M — 14 Feb 2014

When I saw writer-director David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) with my family in the theater, I thought it was the best film I've seen that entire year. I liked the performances, I adored the writing and the directing, and I enjoyed pretty much everything about it. Now, I've finally seen it from beginning to end for a second time one to two years later. And how did it hold up? It was still good, but it's no longer the great movie that I originally thought it was. While the acting by the all-star cast still holds up, there are certain details in the story that hold up significantly better than others. Before we address what does and doesn't work in this flick, let's recap the plot from the beginning.

Bradley Cooper portrays Pat Solitano Jr., a man with a bipolar disorder who has recently been released from a mental health facility and now has to live with his parents (Jacki Weaver, Robert DeNiro). He learns that his wife has moved out of their place, but is determined to reconcile with her after the event that got him into the facility in the first place by getting his life back on track. He plans on doing so by losing weight, reading literature his wife teaches to kids, and seeing the good (the "silver lining") in all that he experiences regardless of how challenging it may be. His plan is somewhat successful, that is until he meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a recently unemployed widow who is also mentally unstable. Because his wife has a restraining order against him, Pat reluctantly makes a deal with Tiffany that if she gives a letter to his wife from him, he'll be her partner in an upcoming dance competition.

What ensues for the rest of the picture is Pat struggling to maintain balance between his commitments with helping Tiffany and being there for his family. An important detail that should be mentioned is that Pat's dad (DeNiro) thinks that his son is a good luck charm because whenever he's home, his favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, always win. When he isn't, they lose. Because of this, it's difficult for Pat to keep his cool since he's going to dissatisfy someone either way. If he's not there for Tiffany for practicing the dance, she gets furious. If he's not there with his heavily superstitious dad, he's discontent as well. By the way, when I say that his dad's superstitious, I mean he's freaking obsessed with the Eagles. He's willing to bet all the money he's saving for opening a restaurant on the Eagles winning a game, that's how much he believes in his team and in Pat. And you wonder why I'm modest.

The funny thing I've picked up upon a second viewing of this flick is that even though Pat's the one that just got released from the mental institution, the people in his life are crazier than he is. I know people that are obsessed with sports, but I haven't come across anyone who's willing to bet everything just for the sake of one team winning a game like Pat's dad. Let's not also forget that likable nut known as Tiffany, who comes out of nowhere to scare the crap out of Pat during a jog around her neighborhood, has seemingly non-existent dinner table manners, and gets non-sensibly mad for no particular reason sometimes. Whether or not it was David O. Russell's subliminal intention to make his family and friends even crazier than Pat remains to be seen. But honestly, I'm not complaining, because it's actually a nice comedic touch in that it adds to the irony of Pat's current lifestyle.

It should also be noted that as Pat and Tiffany spend more time together, they apparently start to form a romantic bond. And honestly, that's my main problem with this film upon second viewing. For me, this is another one of those films where it would have been more appropriate if the writers just made the romance a friendship instead. Personally, I never saw a credible romance here so much as a credible friendship where they try and help each other out. This can best explain why I'm so mixed on the ending. On one hand, I love the payoff with their performance at the dance and their reactions to their scores. Without spoiling anything, it makes me feel better about what I've accomplished so far even if it isn't anything amazing. On the other hand, the last couple shots of the film feel rushed. I think this has to do with the fact that what Pat and Tiffany do together for 75% of the time is argue towards one another. It would have been a better romance for me if they did less arguing and more connecting.

"Silver Linings Playbook" is blessed with a highly talented all-star cast including Bradley Cooper as the main character trying to maintain a "silver lining", Jennifer Lawrence as his enjoyably psychotic girlfriend, and Robert DeNiro in a passionate supporting role as Pat's Eagles-obsessed father. Chris Tucker has a funny supporting role as a friend of Pat's from the mental institution who always keeps getting sent back because his release forms apparently didn't come through. That's Paul Herman in a solid supporting role as Pat's father's gambling friend Randy. You may recognize him as Vincent Chase's accountant from the TV series "Entourage". Everybody in this cast does their part.

Though the central romance may not be for everybody, "Silver Linings Playbook" is above all else a confidently made comedy-drama about a man trying to get his life back on track, even if the people that will help him may not be the best role models. But, that's life. One moment, you're on top of the world. The other, it takes psychos to help psychos.