Silver Linings Playbook: "I Opened Up To You, And You Judged Me"

Director:  David O. Russell
Writer:    David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper
               Jennifer Lawrence
               Robert De Niro
               Jacki Weaver
               Julia Stiles
               Chris Tucker
               John Ortiz
               Anupam Kher
               Brea Bee
Rating:    ****

Release Date: Out Now

Sometimes that one film comes long,;the type of film that feels like it appears out of nowhere, it touches on a very delicate subject, and instantly draws you in with it's compelling story and characters. Silver Linings Playbook is one of those, I had never heard of it until a few months ago, and then all of a sudden it is everywhere; it's winning all sorts of awards and not one person ha a negative thing to say about it. I love it when this happens in the world of cinema, and I love it even more because of this superb film.

Pat Solitano (Cooper) has recently been sent down a dark road of destruction, something that was caused by his wife's infidelity and betrayal. It sends him on a downwards spiral, and when he eventually gets diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder he gets sent to a Baltimore hospital to help him. The film picks up as he is released into the world again; a world where he must deal with judgement, a restraining order and being stuck living with his superstitious father (De Niro) and over-protective mother (Weaver). As he tries to piece together his life he becomes lost without his wife and decides he must find her, in his quest to get hold of his estranged love he meets Tiffany (Lawrence).

Robert De Niro
Tiffany recently lost her husband, and to deal with the grief she became a 'slut' and turned into a dark and moody woman who pushes people away. Together Tiffany and Pat find a bond and connection and help each other out with their many issues. At first they are friends who often fight and disagree, but soon their many similarities bring them together, and they both realise that all the sadness and betrayal comes with a silver lining.

The direction and writing from Russell is truly magical, keeping things simple and neat so that each moment of emotion and drama is picked up beautifully and never lost in the theatrics. The ensemble cast is wonderfully engaging with Pat's parents truly standing out as the worried guardians just hoping for their son to get better. Stiles, Tucker and Kher all lend their own particular essence to the mix and help bring out the best and worst in the two leads.

Cooper and Lawrence are terrific together and their chemistry and bond is one of the most genuine and emotive that I have seen in awhile. Saying that each actor comes with their own flaws; Cooper slowly becomes tiresome and his childish behaviour soon started to grate on me. Lawrence on the other hand played the part of Tiffany with ease and a certain grace; she can portray the cocky side just as well as the naivety that she needed for the role. My issue with her was A. she was far to young to be playing a recently widowed woman who falls for a nearly 40 year old man (being just 21 whilst shooting) it was almost as a bad as us having to believe that Daniel Radcliffe could portray a widowed father in The Woman in Black, and B. I still find Lawrence to be smug and a touch arrogant and that came through sometimes on film. The film overall is a terrific feat and everyone involved should be incredibly proud of their work. Here we have a future cinematic classic that is funny, sad, poignant, and comes with a gritty realism all at the same time.

Silver Linings Playbook - Trailer

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