Movie Review - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Yes I know I am two years late and haven’t done a review in ages but this has been on my to watch list and finally had a chance to watch it. David, O Russell’s explores into bi-polar disorder which is a mental illness that is perceived with a general ignorance and I am glad that this film tackles this topic because it is a great reflection of a disease that is placed in the same societal generalisations of depression with people calling that just being sad but is far from the case. A reason why I have longed to watch this film.
Patrick (Bradley Cooper) has Bi-polar disorder and has just been released from a mental facility after an incident and must try and get his life back on track. He meets, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) a widow he wants him to participate in a dance contest in exchange to help him win back his wife.
It is a beautiful thing this film does, to portray BPD in a fashion that does not make light hearted comedy of a mental illness. The film has dark places that touch on the struggle of this illness. There is a comedic tone to the film but never crosses the line to be insulting. Bradley Cooper’s performance is rightly so Oscar nominated. His chemistry with Jennifer Lawerence is a match made in heaven. They bounce off each other with a fast paced exuberance later seen in American Hustle (2013). There characters pull you into their state of mind and you sympathise with them to the point of understanding and that is a very difficult task which is accomplish here. Through the writing and Cooper’s and Lawerence’s acting.
What makes this film an instant classic in the underlying argument that everyone is just as crazy. As we are placed in the shoes of Tiffany and Patrick who are seen in society as ‘crazy’ the surrounding character perform similar character traits of ‘craziness’ but is seen as ‘normal’. Robert De Niro character as Patrick’s Dad is a brilliant example of this, he has a obsessive nature that he must perform certain tasks so the Eagles win a American Football game. De Niro’s performance parallels performance there in the 1970’s and 1980’s. His best performance in the noughties. Silver Linings Playbook contains a whole vast line of character from a slightly turned down Chris Tucker who has been far away from the movies recently turns in a great performance and only wish we received more from his character because I believe that he can pull in a serious role and doesn’t have to do the Chris Tucker, turn it up to 11.
In all, Silver Linings Playbook is on my list of greatest movies ever. It’s portrayal of mental illness is a rarity in the medium especially a film that has had a worldwide exposure. The performances are brilliant, the production is smooth and story is heartfelt. Silver Linings Playbook is a film that has the heart of an independent film but the production of a big Hollywood film and it creates a film that is a pure classic that should be on anyone’s and everyone’s to watch list.
