Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – ★★★★

Director: David O. Russell
Writers: David O. Russell (Screenplay), Matthew Quick (Novel)
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles

Silver Linings Playbook is an extremely interesting and roaringly funny dramatic comedy. It features some of the best performances of the year, some of the most entertaining characters of the year, and is overall one of the best movies made in 2012. It’s unpredictable, and hits its punchlines with perfect comic timing. This is a movie you can watch over and over without ever getting bored of it.


The story follows Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), who moves back in with his parents (De Niro, Weaver) after a stint in a mental institution. His goal is to reconcile with his ex-wife, and try to find the ‘silver lining’ in life. Things get really interesting when Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with serious problems of her own. They both have several mental issues, which becomes the foundation on which their friendship grows.

Jennifer Lawrence absolutely blew me away with her performance, which is certainly Oscar worthy. She peaked my interest more than any other character, and I found myself holding on to the hope that she finds happiness. I loved her character dearly. Bradley Cooper surprisingly gave a great performance too. DeNiro is one of the greatest actors of all time, and his performance in Silver Linings Playbook only reaffirms that status. It’s one of the best roles I’ve seen him play, and he thoroughly deserved his Oscar nomination. Jacki Weaver was also brilliant playing the role of Pat’s mother.

I’m a big fan of movies that are a little unorthodox, which is exactly what this movie is. It’s your typical romantic comedy, with such an interesting dramatic aspect thrown into it. The thing that turns this story into something extraordinary is the mental issues that the main characters have to live with. It shows that just about everyone has something wrong with them, however, some people are better at hiding it. The scene where Pat has finished reading Hemingway is not only hilarious, it also introduces the issues he has in a very powerful way. He is bipolar, and freaks out when things are not happy or going his way.

The best thing about Silver Linings Playbook? It’s a downright entertaining movie. It’s not the best Comedy/Drama/Romance, but it is a brilliant movie to be included into all the genres. I loved it, and I think that many others will too.