Silver Linings Playbook [M]

Life does not always run smoothly. This is a cold fact that former teacher, Pat Solitano, has come to realise after a stint in a mental institution as part of a plea bargain after an incident that sparked his undiagnosed bipolar. Pat is now out and finds himself living with his parents after losing everything – his wife, his job, and his house. But Pat’s philosophy is that by remaining positive, he will find his silver lining and he becomes determined to reconcile with his ex-wife. But Pat’s plan becomes complicated with his meeting Tiffany, a recent widow with emotional problems of her own, and his superstitious obsessive compulsive father trying to spend more time with him. 

This is a wonderful film that just treads the fine line between comedy and drama. The script is fantastic and the performances were incredible with Jennifer Lawrence scooping up the 2012 Academy Award for Best Actress. From memory, this movie was nominated for quite a few Academy Awards: Best Picture, Bradley Cooper was up for Best Actor, and Jacki Weaver was up for Best Supporting Actress. I can totally see why now! I was really miffed when I missed this at the cinemas, but am now totally glad that I’ve rectified this error of my ways. This movie is wonderful. 

Life does not always run smoothly. This is a cold fact that former teacher, Pat Solitano, has come to realise after a stint in a mental institution as part of a plea bargain after an incident that sparked his undiagnosed bipolar. Pat is now out and finds himself living with his parents after losing everything – his wife, his job, and his house. But Pat’s philosophy is that by remaining positive, he will find his silver lining and he becomes determined to reconcile with his ex-wife. But Pat’s plan becomes complicated with his meeting Tiffany, a recent widow with emotional problems of her own, and his superstitious obsessive compulsive father trying to spend more time with him. 

Hands down the star of the show is the story and the script. The film is based on Matthew Quick’s novel and writer/director David O. Russell did a brilliant job in adapting it for the screen. The entire movie is fuelled by constant stream of dialogue, which is an incredible example of how much words can hurt. The marriage of the script and the wonderful performances from the cast make this movie the sensation that it is. It’s erratic, dramatic, romantic, comedic, and just amazing overall! 

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence were absolutely beautiful together; there was a real deep and often unidentifiable spark and chemistry between them. Never really pronounced, but you could slightly feel it hovering round the head and the shoulders like a niggling forgotten errand or a butterfly just within peripheral vision. They were beautiful! 

Starring Jacki Weaver, Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Dash Mihok, and Julia Stiles, Silver Linings Playbook is a beautiful movie that’s filled with romance, drama, comedy, spontaneity, an incredible script, and stunning performances. I absolutely loved this film!