Monday, May 6, 2013

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Review

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert de Niro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker. Adapted for the screen and directed by David O. Russell. 
Rated R. Available on DVD.

Silver Linings Playbook was my favorite movie of 2012. I watched it last night and it was just as good the second time around.

I love everything about this movie. The acting is amazing, which is obvious since it had someone nominated for every acting category at the Oscars. The relationships between the characters seemed very organic and real. Bradley Cooper was at his best, as was de Niro, who I feel did not get as much credit as he deserved playing Cooper's character's father. Fun fact: When de Niro starting crying in one of the scenes, everyone was surprised since he wasn't supposed to cry in the scene. I think that is a testament to the strength of the story and the script. The script is witty, happy, and sad all at the same time.

I think the best thing about this movie is how positive it is. When a film is made about mental illness, it could portray it as dark and scary, which sometimes it definitely can be. But what makes this film great is that it looks on the bright side of things and finds the "silver linings" in not-so-great situations. By the climax of this movie, I felt connections with these very real and defined characters and I was cheering for their success. And sure, maybe it does end with a happy, somewhat clichéd ending. But that doesn't matter because sometimes, I like to believe in happy endings. I want to believe in the silver linings.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

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