Silver Linings Playbook

With perhaps the most confusing film title since the dinosaur-free Tyrannosaur, Silver Linings Playbook is a romantic comedy/drama which could quite easily be the perfect date movie. For starters, it stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence who provide more than enough eye candy to satisfy both parties, should the date not be going to plan. Adapted from a novel of the same name and directed by David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook is quite often surprising, frequently heart-felt and always superbly acted. Take a girl to see this film and she'll be very impressed with your taste in movies...

David O. Russell is a film-maker renowned for his bizarre shifts in tone from film-to-film and his latest release is no different. Somewhat of a departure from The Fighter, O. Russell's previous film, Silver Linings Playbook mixes Pat (Cooper), a former school teacher who has spent the last eight months in a psychiatric hospital suffering from bipolar disorder, with Tiffany (played by Lawrence) whose mental health has also been seriously compromised by the death of her policeman husband. When Pat is discharged from hospital, he moves back in with his parents who are determined to help him get his life back on track. His friendship with Tiffany develops and it soon becomes clear that the two exert a positive force on one another.

Central to this film's success are the performances. Jennifer Lawrence has already proved herself to be the upcoming talent during her stellar performance in The Hunger Games and really shines opposite Bradley Cooper who may just have done enough to atone for his sins in The Hangover Part II. Cooper sensitively, but boldly, portrays a character whose mood swings and frustrated musing about the ending of A Farewell to Arms confound his parents, who themselves are part of the problem. The dialogue – especially the encounters between Pat and his father (Robert De Niro in a back-to-form role) – was dynamically-written and gave a real sense of the volatile familial situations which always threatened to descend into a shouting match, should a wrong word be said.

O. Russell must be applauded for never falling into the trap of caricaturing the issue of mental illness. This is not to say that there aren't any funny moments; indeed, there are plenty of laughs to be had. But the strength of the script lies in its treatment of mental illness and the emotive, and sometimes distressing, feelings which go with it. The characters were multi-faceted and felt like real people – perhaps the highest compliment which can be paid to the actors. Although well-paced for the most part, the final quarter of the film did feel slightly less fluid and rather rushed but that is not to detract from what is, otherwise, a very enjoyable film.

Some have cynically suggested that Silver Linings Playbook is a mere vehicle for Oscar nominations but I feel that this does the film a great disservice. Fantastic performances, a sensitive script and assured direction all make for a film which will get better with repeat viewings. Girlfriend/boyfriend optional. 

Clapperboard Rating: * * * *