More Than Just a Silver Lining

Recently nominated for 8 Academy Awards, Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two people recovering from mental illnesses.  Going into the theatre I had my hopes up high after friends, parents and critics praising the film.  Surely I was not disappointed.  This touching, and emotional roller coaster allows the audience to see the frustrations and struggles of people living with these disorders.  Having only seen Bradley Cooper in movies like The Hangover, and Valentines Day, I was not expecting a strong, heavy hearted, leading male performance from him.  I was surely mistaken after Bradley carried the film impressing me with his acting and his on screen chemistry with all of the characters.  He played "Pat" a man living with bi-polar disorder who was recently released out of a mental health facility into the care of his parents Pat sr. (Robert DeNiro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) whom also gave wonderful performances in the show.

The film really picks up once Tiffany, a recovering sex addict played by Jennifer Lawrence, steps into the picture and befriends Pat.  Her performance was stunning and even won her the Golden Globe for a leading actress in a comedy or musical.  Both Lawrence, and Coopers ability to convey so much emotional depth within their facial features, especially their eyes and their necks, is unbelievable. I could not take my eyes off of either one, when either of them were on the screen.  I think both of them have reached new heights in their acting careers.  It's impressive to any actor who can steal the show away from Robert De Niro who still have a more than perfect performance.

The film is nominated for all 4 acting awards, best editing, best adapted screenplay, best director David O. Russell (nominated in 2010 for The Fighter) and best picture at the Academy Awards.  I think this film deserves all of these accolades.  The movie was a spectacular creation and beautiful tale of unlikely friends coming together.  After seeing the film I couldn't help but think if even a few things about the movie were different it could have been just another rom-com and not this beautiful work of art.  Don't get me wrong, I love rom-coms, but change Jenifer Lawrence with Katherine Heigel, have Gary Marshal direct instead, and it could have been a very different movie.

All in all, Silver Linings Playbook was a wonderful journey, and a stepping stone for film makers everywhere to show that even the most simple of plots can have the most lasting impact on audiences.