Number 420 on the top 1000 films of all time is David O'Russell's romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook.
Patrizio Pat Solitano Jr (Bradley Cooper) is sent to a mental hospital after he beats his wife's lover half to death. In hospital he is diagnosed with Bipolar disease. Upon his release, he returns to live with his parents Pat Sr (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) all while scheming to win his wife back. Part of his scheme involves entering a dance competition with the unstable Tiffany Meadows (Jennifer Lawrence.) Chris Tucker also co-stars as Pat's friend Danny Mcdaniels.
Any film that focusses on mental illness will be a tough watch and Silver Linings Playbook was no exception. It was intense with most of the characters suffering from some type of mental illness: Pat Jr has bipolar, Pat Sr has OCD, Danny and Tiffany both have undeclared illness, with the latter theorised to have BPD. On a number of occasions, tempers frayed as the characters spoke over and screamed at each other. But if that's what it's like in real life, can you imagine what it would be like inside their heads?
Silver Linings Playbook was released in 2012 and, even then, mental health wasn't as well understood or respected as it is now. There is still some stigma attached, but it was much worse over a decade ago. And when you don't fully understand something, it is easy to misrepresent or mischaracterise it. It's all too easy to have characters defined by their mental illness rather than characters who happen to have mental illness. Granted, I don't have mental illness, so I don't know what it's like, but I think Silver Linings was very respectful to all involved.
Pat has bipolar. He is erratic, intense and unpredictable. Yet he is also scared, vulnerable and anxious. And that was down to Bradley Cooper's very nuanced portrayal of him. He brought the character to life rather than making him a caricature. Similar Pat Sr has OCD and requires everything to be in the perfect place. But he truly does care for his son, helping to turn him into a real person.
The same applies for Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany. Although it's never confirmed, it's generally believed that she has BPD. From her volatile nature to her blunt way of talking to how she goes quiet when things become heated, Lawrence captures the mannerisms perfectly. She really earned the best actress Oscar. Just like Bradley Cooper, she brought a sensitivity to the role without reducing it to a gross parody.
If I were to criticise the film for anything, it would be the amount of time spent on American Football. This was a personal preference and I know playbook is in the title, but I didn't care at all. All of the weird schemes and gambling that bookmaker Pat SR was involved in, went right over my head. As this comprised a large part of the film, I did miss a lot. I know that American football is like a religion to most Yanks, but I'm a Brit who hates most sports, including regular football, so I didn't care for it.
Overall, I did enjoy this film. Sure it was intense with lots of shouting, but the two leads performed admirably. Just less American football, next time, please.
I enjoyed this film. Everybody seemed a bit mad in some way. But Cooper and Lawrence in particular were superlative. They brought their characters to life in an unforgettable way. Like James, I don't know or have any interest in American Football. I also didn't understand what the gambling was about. It seems to be a preoccupation that American cinema has that is less important over here
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