Silver Linings Playbook (SLP) is a good movie, but not award winning. In fact, I wouldn't have nominated any of the actors for awards, Academy or otherwise. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I just didn't understand all the hype a perfectly fine movie received.
SLP is the sixth full length feature film from writer/director David O. Russell. It's the story of Pat (Bradley Cooper), a patient recently released from a mental institution looking to get his life back on track. He lives with his parents, goes running, and reads books from the syllabus of his wife's class hoping it will help bring them back together. He meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is also dealing with her own issues and possible mental illness. They grow closer and events lead to Pat agreeing to enter a dance competition with Tiffany. Oh yeah, everyone in his life is obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles. It gets more complicated than that, but you know me, I'd rather you find out the details on your own.
I guess I should admit that I've only really loved one of Russel's films; Flirting With Disaster. The Fighter was good too, but Russell made the mistake of miscasting Mark Wahlberg, allowing him to be completely overshadowed by Christian Bale, and Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. With SLP he makes the mistake of not staying true to the characters or the authenticity that put him on the map with Flirting With Disaster.
Rotten Tomatoes states, "Silver Linings Playbook walks a tricky thematic tightrope, but David O. Russel's sensitive direction and some sharp work from a talented cast gives it true balance." I guess the theme this quote refers to is mental illness? I'm not quite sure why we're acting like this is either a tricky or new subject. I believe Ordinary People proved the theme to be manageable and a also a great example of a much more authentic and award worthy film than SLP. You're probably thinking that this is an awfully negative three-star review thus far. So, let me back up a bit and start with the positives.
Bradley Cooper is indeed great. He handles the manic episodes with great calmness and restraint avoiding the usual pitfalls of playing a character with mental illness. I guess I would call it the "OH MY GOD I'M CRAZY LOOK AT ME!" syndrome. Unfortunately, there is one scene where the character of Tiffany dips a toe into that pool (the diner scene). Luckily for us Tiffany is played by Jennifer Lawrence who oozes an incredible amount of likability and charm even when she's being kind of a jerk. The film runs 122 minutes but it barely felt like I was watching it for 90. It's an immersive, touching and sometimes funny story played by seasoned actors (and one budding one) who are a joy to watch. The climax of the dance scene even delivers as we hoped it would for the first 110 minutes. So what's my beef?
In one of the special features Bradley Cooper is being interviewed and talks about how "real" these characters are. He states they're real people with real problems, or something close to that. My issue is that these characters may mirror real people, but the film is not an authentic reflection. Russell tries so very hard to create a real family, real interaction, real family rooms and real outfits that he forgets to help the actors portray them authentically by reminding them that they don't always have to be yelling or talking very very loudly. I brought up Flirting With Disaster earlier with good reason. That film is the complete opposite of SLP in this regard; it has a completely unrealistic and oddball premise but fully authentic characters. I don't want to get into a double review so I hope you've seen that film as and know what I'm referring to. There are definite moments of tenderness and authenticity in SLP, but I feel they're a bit overshadowed by the scenes that are not (like the diner/movie theater scene).
So that's my beef. I disagree that Russell found true balance, but this is still a positive review. I enjoyed the movie, loved Jennifer Lawrence and definitely think you should check it out. Maybe you'll think it's award worthy as well.
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