Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

13 March 2015

I watched SLP on Monday night. It was late and I wasn't really wanting to take the time to watch it. But long before the credits rolled, I was hooked. My review is a little haphazard; there is so much to like about "Silver Linings Playbook".

The cast of SLP is excellent all around. Bradley Cooper is brilliant as Pat, giving the character a lot of desperate energy in his struggle to get his life back on track. I've known about Jennifer Lawrence for awhile. But actually seeing one of her Oscar-winning performances was an eye-opener. She is a great actress and a beautiful woman. As Tiffany, she strikes a perfect balance between strength and vulnerability. Together, Bradley and Jennifer have a lot of chemistry. One thing I really like about SLP is that it becomes a bit of an ensemble film as it moves along. Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker ... everyone had interesting things to say and do. And everyone made me care about their character. I can't ask for more than that.

I'm impressed with how the movie makes Bradley Cooper out to be like he's from the hood. Bradley isn't Italian looking (he reminds of Christian Bale). But little touches like him wearing a sweatsuit and a gold necklace are effective. And I think Bradley has the same raw physicality in the role as Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, which makes Pat a little dangerous.

SLP has an engaging plot. It starts out really serious with Pat coming home and trying to deal. I was so afraid I'd have to suffer alongside Pat for two hours. But then Tiffany comes into the picture like a ray of sunshine and takes the edge off both Pat and the plot. As I said, everyone has interesting things to say and do. All of the characters grow a lot or a little over the course of the film. Unlike so many films we've talked about before, I didn't get the sense the plot left the characters behind in the second half. Everything flows naturally.

I've been interested in seeing more Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence films, and "Silver Linings Playbook" has confirmed that. Jacob and I have "Winter's Bone" at the top of the queue on Netflix.