I always
wonder about people who have been diagnosed with a psychological problem like
bipolar disorder; some of them have such a zest and passion for life that I
begin to wonder if it’s even fair to say that they are sick. Everyone else
seems to get so beaten up and run down by life to where it robs the smiles off
of our faces, and yet people like Pat Solitano, Bradley Cooper’s character in
“Silver Linings Playbook,” seems so inspired by everything around him. Despite
Pat’s problem, I came out of this movie desperately wanting to feel the way he
does.
Of course,
Pat’s boundless zest for life has come at a huge price for him. “Silver Linings
Playbook,” the latest film from writer/director David O. Russell, starts off
with Pat being released from a mental institution after being locked in there
for eight months. It turns out that Pat, a former school teacher, went off the
deep end one day when he came home and found his wife Nikki in the shower with
another man. Pat did not take this well to put it mildly and he went ballistic
on the guy in a way no one will ever forget.
Now that Pat’s
been released, he is forced to move back in with his parents (played by Robert
De Niro and Jacki Weaver) as he has lost his home and his job, and his wife has
since moved away and filed a restraining order against him. However, he is
determined to move his life forward in a positive direction and win Nikki back,
but he is still troubled by the discovery he made all those months ago. It also
doesn’t help that a certain Stevie Wonder song, the same one which was played
at Pat’s and Nikki’s wedding, was playing on the stereo when Pat found his wife
at home but not alone. That song acts as a terrible trigger for him, and you
feel his excruciating pain whenever it starts playing.
Cooper is
best known for his work in “The Hangover” movies, but this role really shows
the kind of actor he is truly capable of being. Cooper makes you sympathize
with Pat’s sincere intentions to be a better person even when he flies off the
handle for the most unexpected reasons. Just watch him go ballistic after he
finishes reading Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms.” From start to finish,
Cooper is a dynamo in the role and you relish in the joy he gets from playing
this character.
Cooper is
also well matched with Jennifer Lawrence who follows up her performance in the
box office behemoth “The Hunger Games” with a fiery turn as Tiffany. Now a
widow after her husband passed away, Tiffany speaks her mind bluntly and
without apology and it is clear that she is still coping with a devastating
loss. Lawrence blew us away with her breakthrough performance in “Winter’s
Bone,” and her talent as an actress has never been in doubt since. She more
than rises to the challenge in “Silver Linings Playbook” in creating a
character who on the surface is not exactly pleasant, and yet she still lets us
see the wounded humanity which Tiffany’s tough exterior cannot hide.
The film also
features a number of terrific supporting performances as well. Robert De Niro
gives one of his best performances in a long time as Pat’s father who is as
hopeful for his son’s recovery as he is for the Philadelphia Eagles winning
every single football game they play. Jacki Weaver, best known for her Oscar
nominated performance in “Animal Kingdom,” also lends some strong support as
Pat’s mom. There are also some inspired turns from John Ortiz as Ronnie, Anupam
Kher as Dr. Patel, and even Julia Stiles shows up as Tiffany’s sister Veronica.
But one
supporting performance which really stands out in “Silver Linings Playbook” is
Chris Tucker’s as Danny, Pat’s friend who leaves the mental institution only to
find that he’s not really allowed to just yet. Not only is this is the first
movie Tucker’s done in a long time without “Rush Hour” in the title, but he
also dials down on his manic comic energy to give a surprisingly naturalistic
performance. Tucker is a lot of fun to watch here, and fits in perfectly with
the rest of the cast without ever upstaging anybody. He is wonderful to watch
here.
“Silver
Linings Playbook” is based on the book of the same name by Matthew Quick, and
it is the perfect fit for a writer/director like David O. Russell. His films,
whether it’s “Flirting with Disaster,” “The Fighter” or even “Three Kings,”
deal with complicated characters who are trying to salvage what is left of
their souls so that they can move on to better things. This one is no different
as Pat and Tiffany need each other to get past the traumas that have come to
define their lives in the present. Russell presents their story in a way that
never feels the least bit formulaic, and he never ever takes the easy way out with
these characters.
What I’ve
come to love about Russell’s movies is that they feel alive in a way most don’t.
With “Silver Linings Playbook” you are watching lives unfold in front of you,
and it is directed to where you experience what’s happening instead of just
watching it. Regardless of the problems these characters face here, there is
something strangely positive and fulfilling in seeing them overcome what is
holding them back. It is also exhilarating to watch characters that are so
filled with passion and a love for life, and this film is full of them. This is
really one of the most entertaining and enjoyable movies I have seen so far in
2012.
* * * * out of * * * *
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