Silver Linings Playbook was the first film that I managed to get round to seeing at the student cinema this year. I went on my own, not in the best of moods and was generally just a bit snappy (I guess that's what not enough sleep does to some people). In short, I needed to be well and truly cheered up...and this film did the trick.
Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro star in this slightly left of centre romantic comedy based on the novel of the same name. Pat (Cooper) has just been released after a short time in a mental institution and returns home to live with his parents (De Niro and Jacki Weaver) and attempt to repair his broken marriage. His bipolar disorder, which landed him in the institution in the first place, has led to a restraining order from his wife, an overbearing family and a neighbourhood that is terrified of his behaviour. However, through a friend of a friend he meets Tiffany, a girl who has problems of her own and the two become friends with a favour leading Pat to help Tiffany with a dance competition.
This film is not your typical rom-com in any way, and yet it will still make you laugh out loud and has that feel good factor. The story is smart and interesting, unlike many other films of this kind that can all sort of merge into one after you've seen enough of them, as well as managing to present the topic of mental illness in both a serious and light hearted way.
Also, it is my opinion that, whilst Jennifer Lawrence may be the one that is up for all the awards and has won a few of them so far this season, it is Bradley Cooper's performance that really stands out. After seeing him in The Hangover and (even worse) The Hangover 2, I had no idea he was such a good actor. As said before, he portrays the seriousness of the mental illness perfectly alongside the humour that those situations can also bring. If you ask me, it should be him that is winning the best actor awards (Daniel Day Lewis already has more than one of most of them anyway).
To cut a long story short, this is a great film and I will definitely be buying when it comes out on DVD.
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