REVIEW: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Here is the blessing and the curse of awards season: you see these extremely well received films you hear so much about, that are going to go down in film history possibly....and some of them disappoint you. I had the problem with "War Horse" in 2011, with "True Grit" in 2010 (it was just like the original!) and "A Serious Man" in 2009. All of those were up for Best Picture...and you know...they were OK. You can't help it! Going into these Oscar hopefuls, your expectations are insurmountably high, and when they don't deliver, boy, is it a letdown. David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" doesn't have that problem, however.
The film opens pleasantly enough in a mental hospital, where Pat (Bradley Cooper) is just being released from. His friend Danny, (Chris Tucker, who retrospectively doesn't add much to the film besides diversity, but he's still funny!) hops a ride with him and his mom, Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver. We never really find out what's wrong with Danny, but he mutters to himself a lot, and he's not in the condition to leave the hospital apparently, as he's called back, freaking Pat and his mother out. This sets a fairly chaotic tone for the coming scenes, a fairly unpredictable movie that still fits in the mold. "Silver Linings Playbook" breaks some rules here, thankfully for a romantic comedy. I cringed for him when I saw him and Sandra Bullock star in "All About Steve," a horrendous "comedy" I viewed on basic cable. "Playbook" plays nowhere near those boundaries.
Romantic comedies certainly aren't dying out, as long as late 20's white actresses are still hoping for that perfect man. The formula's been tried, especially by Katherine Heigl, who did for romcoms like Spielberg did for sharks. Russell, a notoriously hotheaded director, keeps his cool here, and directs low key scenes, of people simply having dialogue. Romantic comedies try to have witty banter and dialogue, but Russell actually succeeds here with Cooper, Lawrence and DeNiro, here playing a surly father who's one of those people that believes turning your remote controls a certain way will win you the Eagles football game. After seeing DeNiro's career literally dangling before me in "Little Fockers," it was such a sweet relief to see this man in something more mature and likable, although he does play a rough grouch.
Pat's parents just want him to be happy, however, they're not the real source. The source is his wife Nikki, referred to so many times by Cooper that you envision this goddess of a woman, an immaculate figure of all things graceful. All that's on Pat's mind is communicating with Nikki, who's got him on a restraining order after he beat up her lover in the shower, leading to his imprisonment and stay in the hospital. Besides the obvious "YOU ALMOST KILLED MY BOYFRIEND" thing, Nikki and Pat weren't connecting because she needed space, and he was too fat. Cut to the repeated scenes of Pat running through the neighborhood clad in a trash bag to burn those extra lbs. It's a clear case of boy loves girl, but not the other way around. Then enters Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence.)
Things get spicy from there, so I'll say no more, besides mentioning an hilarious Indian therapist, a temper tantrum over a wedding video, and a ballroom dance sequence. Now you have to see it, right? David O. Russell pulls off a wonderful thing here by juggling so many stories at once, and the film never once seems bloated. As for Cooper, I'll admit, before I saw "The Hangover," I never much liked him as an actor. Then, while roaming through the YouTube jungle, I saw his episode of "Inside the Actor's Studio," where it was revealed he was once a student there, and the program flash-backed to when DeNiro was the guest of honor, and it showed a greasy Cooper asking him a question on acting. During the whole thing he got very emotional, welling up with pride, as I'm sure he thought he'd never be the one in the seat.
Lawrence pulls off an uncharacteristically good mature performance. I suppose I've only seen one type of her: the overprotective big sister/breadwinner in "Hunger Games" and "Winter's Bone." She sneers through thick eyeliner brilliantly at Cooper's blunt and awkward advances, and her face turns shameful as her promiscuous past is revealed. A small ensemble of fully fleshed characters, genuine and actually really funny writing, not just in the indie-quirky kind of thing, but real, gut laughs....this is my type of movie. Here's wishing Cooper and Lawrence a ballroom strut to the Oscar podium!
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
Romantic comedies certainly aren't dying out, as long as late 20's white actresses are still hoping for that perfect man. The formula's been tried, especially by Katherine Heigl, who did for romcoms like Spielberg did for sharks. Russell, a notoriously hotheaded director, keeps his cool here, and directs low key scenes, of people simply having dialogue. Romantic comedies try to have witty banter and dialogue, but Russell actually succeeds here with Cooper, Lawrence and DeNiro, here playing a surly father who's one of those people that believes turning your remote controls a certain way will win you the Eagles football game. After seeing DeNiro's career literally dangling before me in "Little Fockers," it was such a sweet relief to see this man in something more mature and likable, although he does play a rough grouch.
Pat's parents just want him to be happy, however, they're not the real source. The source is his wife Nikki, referred to so many times by Cooper that you envision this goddess of a woman, an immaculate figure of all things graceful. All that's on Pat's mind is communicating with Nikki, who's got him on a restraining order after he beat up her lover in the shower, leading to his imprisonment and stay in the hospital. Besides the obvious "YOU ALMOST KILLED MY BOYFRIEND" thing, Nikki and Pat weren't connecting because she needed space, and he was too fat. Cut to the repeated scenes of Pat running through the neighborhood clad in a trash bag to burn those extra lbs. It's a clear case of boy loves girl, but not the other way around. Then enters Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence.)
Lawrence pulls off an uncharacteristically good mature performance. I suppose I've only seen one type of her: the overprotective big sister/breadwinner in "Hunger Games" and "Winter's Bone." She sneers through thick eyeliner brilliantly at Cooper's blunt and awkward advances, and her face turns shameful as her promiscuous past is revealed. A small ensemble of fully fleshed characters, genuine and actually really funny writing, not just in the indie-quirky kind of thing, but real, gut laughs....this is my type of movie. Here's wishing Cooper and Lawrence a ballroom strut to the Oscar podium!
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
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