Every so often, a decent or otherwise good film makes it's way into theaters, and for some reason, seems to take the world by storm. Silver Linings Playbook is one of those movies, a hit of the film festivals, showered with awards, praised by the critics, and embraced by audiences as a new classic... yeah, I'm wondering if I watched the same movie as everyone else. Wait wait wait! Don't freak out, let me make one thing clear... I liked Silver Linings Playbook, I just didn't quite love it. The film is good and has some really strong qualities, I'm not denying that, but the numerous flaws are what's keeping me from understanding just why it's being touted as some kind of new masterpiece. Is it because of the subject matter, or maybe that it features Bradley Cooper broadening his acting ability, or is it because Jennifer Lawrence is kind of a big deal right now? It's hard to say exactly where the hype lies, but either way Silver Linings Playbook has received quite the response. What works and what doesn't? Let's take a look...
Silver Linings Playbook opens with Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), being released from a mental institution after an 8 month stint. Pat was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder after witnessing his wife having an affair, an event which triggered a mental episode where he nearly beat his wife's lover to death. He is released into the care of his parents, Pat Sr (Robert De Niro) and Delores (Jacki Weaver), where he begins a long journey of piecing his life back together and hopefully reconciling with his wife (who, after the assault, placed a restraining order against Pat). Soon after arriving home, Pat is introduced to Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a recently widowed woman with issues of her own. Despite some initial hostility between the two, both Pat and Tiffany form a love/hate friendship as they help each other work through their issues, accomplish each other's respective goals, and find the silver lining in their unfortunate circumstances.
David O'Russell (the film's director) is a very talented filmmaker, let's get the out there right now. I've also heard he's kind of a maniac, but I'm not going to worry about that right now. Though he hasn't made a movie that I've quite fallen in love with yet, his work in films like Three Kings (quite good), I Heart Huckabees (took some time to appreciate this one, but I do admire it), and The Fighter (also quite good) has been impressive. 
Silver Linings Playbook actually reminded me a bit of The Fighter. Both films were family-based dramas that dealt with themes of bonding over sports (be it football or boxing) and health-related issues (drug addiction in the case of The Fighter and mental illness in the case of Silver Linings Playbook). It was through Russell's slick direction and the subtleties of the script that elevated The Fighter from being just another inner city boxer turned champion fighter flick (like all of the Rocky imitators). Silver Linings Playbook tries to recapture the success of that technique... albeit with mixed though still overall positive results. The cast is game, there are some truly compelling scenes, and the subject matter is worthy. That said, by the time the third act roles around, it looses a bit of it's edge and falls victim to one too many predictable and formulaic beats.
Let's start where most of the film's shining attributes abide... the cast! Bradley Cooper has been mainly regarded, up until this point, as a comedic actor with well-received roles in films like The Hangover and Wedding Crashers. His non-comedic movies have been at best average (I'm being nice), though often not the fault of Cooper. His role as Pat finally gives him a chance to showcase his true skill, both through comedic and dramatic means. He gets a few hearty laughs over the course of the film and sells every one of his heavier scenes... that's talent right there. The most talked about performance, however, is probably Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany. With her Oscar victory for this role, she has officially crossed the line of promising up-and-comer, to full blown superstar. Make no mistake, she is damn good in this role, taking what could have been a fairly one note character and making it into something very impressive. Most of the film's best moments come from Lawrence, and it's clear that she is one hell of an actress who deserves the success that has come to her. Both Cooper and Lawrence have a great chemistry, and ultimately contribute to most of the film's success.
The supporting cast has received some attention as well. Robert De Niro is always a welcome presence to any movie, whether it be a drama, comedy, action, or horror flick... he's just one of those actors who can play anything. While his part of Pat Sr isn't one of his most memorable roles (though that's hardly a criticism when your filmography consists of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cape Fear, The Godfather Part II, etc.), De Niro does a good job playing the"bad ass with a heart of gold" kind of parts. He's funny, he's intense, he's dramatic, he's likable, he's De Niro... what more can I say?
Australian actress Jacki Weaver is great as Pat's mom Delores, in a more understated but still impressive performance. She's quite convincing as the torn but loving mother caught in the middle of this madness and who wants nothing more than to see both her husband and son both be happy with their issues resolved. Her role in this isn't quite as impressive as her previously Oscar nominated performance in the underrated 2009 flick, Animal Kingdom, but it works. I also have to give a shout out to Chris Tucker, who up until now, has always been one of the most annoying comedic actors to walk the Earth, actually give a more grounded and surprisingly heartfelt performance as Danny, Pat's buddy from the mental hospital. Overall, this was a very well assembled cast, and without them, the movie wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
Now we come to the story... and this is where I'm most divided. The individual parts are all solid, and the seeds planted could have amounted into a new classic. The idea is good, the characters are mostly well developed, and family drama is genuine. The first two-thirds of the film are quite good, with little to no flaws. There are some very funny scenes that managed to get a few decent laughs out of me, and when it came to the heavier scenes, yeah I got legitimately invested in those too. The two tones were well-balanced, it was both funny and dramatic in equal parts with neither feeling forced. Once the final third rolled around... eesh, this is where I'm torn. I can't really discuss it without spoiling parts of the ending, so I'm going to put a spoiler warning up.
SPOILER WARNING!!! I AM REVEALING PARTS OF THE FILM'S ENDING!!! SKIP TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING REVEALED!!!
Okay, so film ends with some of the most cliched and predictable story elements I have ever seen.
Up until the third act, most of the movie avoided a lot of the typical romcom formula. Even though I had a hunch it might end copping out, I held out hope that it would not... I was wrong.
It ends with Pat's consensual break up with his wife so that he and Tiffany could be together. After Pat Sr gives his son the obligatory "go get her" speech, Pat chases down Tiffany, they reveal their love for each other, the kiss, blah blah blah, happily ever after. It's not just the ending either, by the time the third act rolled around, it was completely obvious that the movie was going to resort to the typical Hollywood formula. This wouldn't bother me too much, except for the fact that the movie had so much going for it. Once again though, we get the typical Hollywood message that the cure for mental illness is to hook up with an equally messed up, though still conventionally attractive, partner. Kind of a letdown, not gonna lie.
SPOILERS END HERE!!!
And there is Silver Linings Playbook. Despite my gripes and complaints, I will say that the movie is worth seeing. Up until the end, most of it works quite well, and while I do think the movie, as a whole, is a bit overrated, it's definitely not bad. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5!
Silver Linings Playbook actually reminded me a bit of The Fighter. Both films were family-based dramas that dealt with themes of bonding over sports (be it football or boxing) and health-related issues (drug addiction in the case of The Fighter and mental illness in the case of Silver Linings Playbook). It was through Russell's slick direction and the subtleties of the script that elevated The Fighter from being just another inner city boxer turned champion fighter flick (like all of the Rocky imitators). Silver Linings Playbook tries to recapture the success of that technique... albeit with mixed though still overall positive results. The cast is game, there are some truly compelling scenes, and the subject matter is worthy. That said, by the time the third act roles around, it looses a bit of it's edge and falls victim to one too many predictable and formulaic beats.Let's start where most of the film's shining attributes abide... the cast! Bradley Cooper has been mainly regarded, up until this point, as a comedic actor with well-received roles in films like The Hangover and Wedding Crashers. His non-comedic movies have been at best average (I'm being nice), though often not the fault of Cooper. His role as Pat finally gives him a chance to showcase his true skill, both through comedic and dramatic means. He gets a few hearty laughs over the course of the film and sells every one of his heavier scenes... that's talent right there. The most talked about performance, however, is probably Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany. With her Oscar victory for this role, she has officially crossed the line of promising up-and-comer, to full blown superstar. Make no mistake, she is damn good in this role, taking what could have been a fairly one note character and making it into something very impressive. Most of the film's best moments come from Lawrence, and it's clear that she is one hell of an actress who deserves the success that has come to her. Both Cooper and Lawrence have a great chemistry, and ultimately contribute to most of the film's success.
The supporting cast has received some attention as well. Robert De Niro is always a welcome presence to any movie, whether it be a drama, comedy, action, or horror flick... he's just one of those actors who can play anything. While his part of Pat Sr isn't one of his most memorable roles (though that's hardly a criticism when your filmography consists of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cape Fear, The Godfather Part II, etc.), De Niro does a good job playing the"bad ass with a heart of gold" kind of parts. He's funny, he's intense, he's dramatic, he's likable, he's De Niro... what more can I say?
Australian actress Jacki Weaver is great as Pat's mom Delores, in a more understated but still impressive performance. She's quite convincing as the torn but loving mother caught in the middle of this madness and who wants nothing more than to see both her husband and son both be happy with their issues resolved. Her role in this isn't quite as impressive as her previously Oscar nominated performance in the underrated 2009 flick, Animal Kingdom, but it works. I also have to give a shout out to Chris Tucker, who up until now, has always been one of the most annoying comedic actors to walk the Earth, actually give a more grounded and surprisingly heartfelt performance as Danny, Pat's buddy from the mental hospital. Overall, this was a very well assembled cast, and without them, the movie wouldn't have been nearly as effective.Now we come to the story... and this is where I'm most divided. The individual parts are all solid, and the seeds planted could have amounted into a new classic. The idea is good, the characters are mostly well developed, and family drama is genuine. The first two-thirds of the film are quite good, with little to no flaws. There are some very funny scenes that managed to get a few decent laughs out of me, and when it came to the heavier scenes, yeah I got legitimately invested in those too. The two tones were well-balanced, it was both funny and dramatic in equal parts with neither feeling forced. Once the final third rolled around... eesh, this is where I'm torn. I can't really discuss it without spoiling parts of the ending, so I'm going to put a spoiler warning up.
SPOILER WARNING!!! I AM REVEALING PARTS OF THE FILM'S ENDING!!! SKIP TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING REVEALED!!!
Okay, so film ends with some of the most cliched and predictable story elements I have ever seen.
Up until the third act, most of the movie avoided a lot of the typical romcom formula. Even though I had a hunch it might end copping out, I held out hope that it would not... I was wrong.
It ends with Pat's consensual break up with his wife so that he and Tiffany could be together. After Pat Sr gives his son the obligatory "go get her" speech, Pat chases down Tiffany, they reveal their love for each other, the kiss, blah blah blah, happily ever after. It's not just the ending either, by the time the third act rolled around, it was completely obvious that the movie was going to resort to the typical Hollywood formula. This wouldn't bother me too much, except for the fact that the movie had so much going for it. Once again though, we get the typical Hollywood message that the cure for mental illness is to hook up with an equally messed up, though still conventionally attractive, partner. Kind of a letdown, not gonna lie.SPOILERS END HERE!!!
And there is Silver Linings Playbook. Despite my gripes and complaints, I will say that the movie is worth seeing. Up until the end, most of it works quite well, and while I do think the movie, as a whole, is a bit overrated, it's definitely not bad. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5!
No comments:
Post a Comment