There are only a select few number of films nowadays that will take a viewer by storm in a year. Those films are typically awarded come Golden Globe and Oscar time. One of these films was “Silver Linings Playbook”, which was nominated a few times in the Golden Globes, and has even more nominations for the Oscars coming up. Jennifer Lawrence won a Golden Globe for her role in the film, and it was very much deserved.
Bradley Cooper stars as Pat, a disturbed man with bi-polar disorder. Pat was just recently released from a mental institution, and he has a plan to turn his life around in order to get back with his wife. Denial plagues him when he seemingly forgets what she did to put him in that situation to begin with. So despite the restraining order, Pat tries his hardest to fix his own life to prove himself to his wife. He soon meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who also has a mental disorder after her husband died. Tiffany works with Pat to help get him back together with his wife by registering for a local dance competition. The competition would hopefully help prove his worth, but Tiffany has a motive not perfectly clear to Pat.
The pacing and the direction to this movie is different, but it is not off-putting. There are actually three main goals in the film, the first is the dance competition, the second is the goal to get back with the wife, and the third is the football juju that Pat’s father (Robert De Niro) believes in. It will make sense when you watch it. It is quite incredible and captivating how the filmmakers were able to take these three very different topics and blend them together as one. They all fit, it makes sense at all times, it really is remarkable.
Bradley Cooper had amazing chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence. Both the characters and the actors seemed like they knew exactly what they were doing and felt unbelievably comfortable doing it. When it came to the movie, it made sense that these two people with very real and relatable problems would connect and help each other in a way that normally any other filmmaker wouldn’t think of. It is just so simple and real that it reminds us that sometimes we think too hard and forget about how simple life can be.
Cooper has been great in everything that he has starred in ever since the television show, “Alias”. He just has a level of spunk about him that is loveable. Jennifer Lawrence is also a very talented actress, even though she crashed and burned a bit with her latest flick, “House at the End of the Street”. It is also without question that Robert De Niro has a long and impressive filmography that many actors can only dream of, and his talent in this film has not been diminished. Also, don’t forget De Niro and Cooper have previously worked together in the flick “Limitless”.
“Silver Linings Playbook” definitely deserved the award that it has accumulated, and most likely more to come once the Academy Awards show up soon. It is a must see, so check it out before it leaves the theater!
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