MOVIE REVIEW – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Promotional poster of Silver Linings Playbook

RATING – 8.5/10

GENRE – Romance, Drama, Comedy

DIRECTOR – David O’Russell

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – Pat (Bradley Cooper), a teacher by profession, is sent to a mental institution after he nearly beat a guy to death, who his wife is cheating with.

After an 8 month mandatory stint in the mental institute, he has lost his home, his job and his wife. He now lives with his parents, portrayed by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, and finds it difficult to cope with this lifestyle. However, he is determined to get his act together and set his life back on track.

In between all these emotions, another story woven into the main script is about Pat’s relationship with his parents. Pat Sr. always yearns for some time with his son to catch a game of baseball as he is extremely superstitious and considers his son’s presence as his lucky charm whenever his favorite team is playing.

Seeking ways to get back with his wife Nikki (Brea Bee), he meets one of her friends – Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, at a dinner hosted by Ronnie (John Ortiz), Pat’s neighborhood friend back in those days when everything was fine and Pat’s life was not in doldrums. Tiffany, who is recently widowed, and a recovering sex addict, starts falling for Pat. Predictably, he rejects her as he is married. Nikki and Tiffany are still friends, so she agrees to help Pat on a condition of returning the favor.

REVIEW – Just when you thought Bradley Cooper had carved a niche for himself in comic roles owing to his work in the Hangover series, here is another brilliant performance by 2012’s sexiest man alive, as per the people’s magazine; but this time in a serious role. Credit goes to Jennifer Lawrence as well for her brilliant acting and scintillating performance in certain scenes, which seem to bring her character to life. For example, the scene in which she challenges Pat Sr. as to who really is his lucky charm, when he bets on a baseball match against his friend. As for the legends Robert Di Niro and Jacki Weaver, they have given a class act, owing to their immense talent.

Director David O’Russell, from The Fighter (2010) fame, has done a brilliant job with the story and screenplay; and everything seems to fall in place just at the right moment. He has made Bradley Cooper come out of his comfort zone to deliver an ingenious performance as the lead role, accompanied by equally talented Jennifer Lawrence. A romantic comedy between a recovering sex addict and a guy suffering from Bi-polar disorder seems rather bizarre, but the director seems to have pulled it off exceptionally well.

One thing that seemed to be rather vague was how casually the restraining order on Pat, by his separated wife Nikki is taken. Breaking a restraining order by any means is quite a serious offence. However, little attention seems to be given to that aspect to maintain the realism in the film.

The story connects with its audience brilliantly and teaches them that they do not need to run after happiness. It is always around the corner, they just need to venture out a bit. The movie is predictable but at the same time, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wishing for a happy ending.

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DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR endorsed by any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.