Silver Linings Playbook Review
A romantic comedy chock full of silver linings.
Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman
Rom-coms have gained quite the deadly reputation around Hollywood, and it’s easy to see why considering the constant deluge of pathetically generic genre entries. There’s no mistaking Silver Linings Playbook for anything but a romantic comedy, and yet strangely enough, it isn’t bad. Playbook is a refreshing breath of what romantic-comedies once were, and what they have the potential to be: amusing, heartfelt glimpses at the ups and downs of complicated relationships.
Playbook focuses on Pat (Bradley Cooper), a man suffering from bi-polarity who’s fresh out of a mental hospital and has moved back to his hometown and into the house of his parents (Robert de Niro and Jacki Weaver). Pat is intent on winning back his ex-wife Nikki, and intends to do so by striking a deal with recovering-sex-addict, recently-widowed Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). The ensuing relationship between Pat and Tiffany represents the anchor of the film's narrative, the finer points of which I won’t spoil here. Their interactions are offbeat to say the least, and throughout the film they retain a quirky likability as a couple, but more impressively their relationship is believably forged, never feeling forced and evolving in a natural, organic way.
Bradley Cooper is a man known primarily for his comedic hunk character portrayals in movies like The Hangover, but discrediting him for his past performances would be simply unfair. For Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper gives his all, and the result is a man whose occasionally crippling mental condition can be seen engraved on his face during every scene he’s in. Cooper makes Pat an endearing but unpredictable protagonist. He’s the antithesis of rom-com leading man tropes: a vulnerable guy who’s good at heart but sometimes has trouble conveying it -- and he’s not even into leading lady Lawrence in a romantic capacity for the majority of the proceedings.
Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence, the actress continues her Hollywood conquest, once again proving that she’s destined to be one of the top names in tomorrow’s cinematic landscape. Lawrence, just twenty-two, delivers a powerhouse performance, constantly balancing her characters’ unrestrained outbursts with quiet, tempered emotion and displaying an unmistakable charisma with her co-star. Alone, the performances of the male and female leads make strong cases for the quality of Silver Linings Playbook, but it doesn’t stop there.
Screenwriter/director David O. Russel, fresh off The Fighter, crafts a narrative that, while lacking direction at its start, slinks along at a brisk pace before coming to a satisfying conclusion that, contrary to those of so many romantic comedies, is neither overly drawn-out nor too abrupt. The film also never forgets the comedy half of its genre. The many exchanges between Lawrence and Cooper evoke consistent chuckles, as does Chris Tucker during his onscreen moments as Danny, a fellow mental patient with Pat who thinks up a hilarious volume of ruses to escape from the hospital. And of course, the presence of Robert de Niro means that, even disregarding all previous sources of comedy, laughs are not hard to come by during familial conversations.
In a genre that’s become increasingly bloated and over-encumbered with unnecessary exposition and stalling, Playbook is remarkably sure of itself -- of what it needs to display on screen, and what speaks for itself. A few scenes in particular display this restraint, when events that characters have already discussed do not end up transpiring on screen, because why do they need to? Almost every element of the film adds to the experience in some capacity. Nothing feels unneeded or thrown in to simply extend the runtime or make a fleeting bid for some extra comedy or drama.
Silver Linings Playbook is not an especially complicated or deeply interwoven film from a narrative standpoint, nor is it particularly impressive on any technical level. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been able to use the phrase “what you see is what you get” as a glowing compliment before, but I’ll do it now. Playbook forges meaningful relationships between its characters, with the standout being that between Pat and Tiffany. Their offbeat interactions take on a raw, natural believability that’s extremely rare in romantic comedies today, resulting in an extraordinarily satisfying payoff. The two main characters in Silver Linings Playbook are inherently flawed human beings, but their personalities are articulated with such a masterful naturalistic stroke that it’s impossible not to love them. Silver Linings Playbook as a whole is similar, sans the flaws.
Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman
Rom-coms have gained quite the deadly reputation around Hollywood, and it’s easy to see why considering the constant deluge of pathetically generic genre entries. There’s no mistaking Silver Linings Playbook for anything but a romantic comedy, and yet strangely enough, it isn’t bad. Playbook is a refreshing breath of what romantic-comedies once were, and what they have the potential to be: amusing, heartfelt glimpses at the ups and downs of complicated relationships.
Playbook focuses on Pat (Bradley Cooper), a man suffering from bi-polarity who’s fresh out of a mental hospital and has moved back to his hometown and into the house of his parents (Robert de Niro and Jacki Weaver). Pat is intent on winning back his ex-wife Nikki, and intends to do so by striking a deal with recovering-sex-addict, recently-widowed Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). The ensuing relationship between Pat and Tiffany represents the anchor of the film's narrative, the finer points of which I won’t spoil here. Their interactions are offbeat to say the least, and throughout the film they retain a quirky likability as a couple, but more impressively their relationship is believably forged, never feeling forced and evolving in a natural, organic way.
Bradley Cooper is a man known primarily for his comedic hunk character portrayals in movies like The Hangover, but discrediting him for his past performances would be simply unfair. For Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper gives his all, and the result is a man whose occasionally crippling mental condition can be seen engraved on his face during every scene he’s in. Cooper makes Pat an endearing but unpredictable protagonist. He’s the antithesis of rom-com leading man tropes: a vulnerable guy who’s good at heart but sometimes has trouble conveying it -- and he’s not even into leading lady Lawrence in a romantic capacity for the majority of the proceedings.
Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence, the actress continues her Hollywood conquest, once again proving that she’s destined to be one of the top names in tomorrow’s cinematic landscape. Lawrence, just twenty-two, delivers a powerhouse performance, constantly balancing her characters’ unrestrained outbursts with quiet, tempered emotion and displaying an unmistakable charisma with her co-star. Alone, the performances of the male and female leads make strong cases for the quality of Silver Linings Playbook, but it doesn’t stop there.
Screenwriter/director David O. Russel, fresh off The Fighter, crafts a narrative that, while lacking direction at its start, slinks along at a brisk pace before coming to a satisfying conclusion that, contrary to those of so many romantic comedies, is neither overly drawn-out nor too abrupt. The film also never forgets the comedy half of its genre. The many exchanges between Lawrence and Cooper evoke consistent chuckles, as does Chris Tucker during his onscreen moments as Danny, a fellow mental patient with Pat who thinks up a hilarious volume of ruses to escape from the hospital. And of course, the presence of Robert de Niro means that, even disregarding all previous sources of comedy, laughs are not hard to come by during familial conversations.
Silver Linings Playbook is not an especially complicated or deeply interwoven film from a narrative standpoint, nor is it particularly impressive on any technical level. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been able to use the phrase “what you see is what you get” as a glowing compliment before, but I’ll do it now. Playbook forges meaningful relationships between its characters, with the standout being that between Pat and Tiffany. Their offbeat interactions take on a raw, natural believability that’s extremely rare in romantic comedies today, resulting in an extraordinarily satisfying payoff. The two main characters in Silver Linings Playbook are inherently flawed human beings, but their personalities are articulated with such a masterful naturalistic stroke that it’s impossible not to love them. Silver Linings Playbook as a whole is similar, sans the flaws.
Final Score:
8.5/10
"Outstanding"
I agree in every way. Pleasantly surprising movie especially when it starts off kind of jarringly and has many disturbing/realistically unsettling aspects.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was surprised with how gracefully it covers the darker aspects of mental illness and with how even the more difficult-to-watch scenes are punctuated by moments of comedy and "silver linings".
Delete