Silver Linings Playbook
(2013)Watch for the signs.
Romantic comedy from director David O. Russell (The Fighter) starring Bradley Cooper as a heartbroken man fresh out of a mental institution, living with his parents and trying to get his life back together. Co-stars Jennifer Lawrence (who nabbed an Oscar for her role), Robert DeNiro and Chris Tucker. Adapted from Matthew Quick’s bestselling novel.... More
Pat (Cooper) has lost everything - his house, his job, his wife (to another man) and his compsure. After months in a state institution, he now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (DeNiro). Determined to remain positive (the Silver Lining ethos), Pat devotes himself entirely to becoming the man his wife wanted him to be. But his regime gets sidetracked after meeting Tiffany (Lawrence), a girl with problems of her own. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. Hide
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Best Actress for Lawrence at the 2013 Academy Awards. Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) for Lawrence, Golden Globes 2013. Audience Award winner at Toronto Film Festival 2012. Best Adapted Screenplay, BAFTA Awards 2013.
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Directed by David O. Russell ('The Fighter', 'I Heart Huckabees', 'Three Kings', 'Flirting with Disaster')
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, Jacki Weaver
Written by David O. Russell (based on the novel by Matthew Quick)
Flicks Review
BY Liam Maguren Flicks Writer
David O. Russell knows how to introduce likeably flawed characters, slowly wind them all up and simultaneously let them go at the right moments. Perhaps this talent stems from keeping a strong grip on his casts (George Clooney and Lily Tomlin can vouch for that), but it’s a skill he refines with each movie. Silver Linings Playbook is his current apex.... More
As with The Fighter, every bit of acting juice is squeezed out of the Oscar-loaded ensemble: Bradley Cooper delivers a career best as the bipolar Pat, Jennifer Lawrence parallels her Winter’s Bone performance as widowed Tiffany, Robert De Niro jump-starts his reputation as Pat’s OCD football-bookie father and the fantastic Jacki Weaver continues being so as Pat’s mother (I wish she had more screen time). The quality extends to the smaller roles, from Julia Stiles’ A-grade bitchiness to Chris Tucker’s piston-powered mouth.
Through Pat and Tiffany’s mutual desire to escape the depressive glut of their collapsed marriages, we watch these two jagged souls grind each other's gears while clicking uniquely in place. It’s a relationship balancing act that weighs dialogue-heavy laughs against heart-aching conflict, resulting in a rom-com with a centre of gravity that will draw in nearly anyone. By the end, you cannot bear the thought of these characters not finding their slice of happiness – a rousing testament to Matthew Quick’s material and O. Russell’s care of it.
Silver Linings has signature wit, top-tier performances and a peculiar charm, but the film’s ultimate achievement is how it breaks down its mentally-broken characters to the point of making them so universally relatable – a reminder that ‘sanity’ doesn’t make your flaws any more orderly.Hide
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Silver Linings Playbook
BY Coraliee superstar
Bradley Cooper should scoop actor of the year award with this - he portrayed 'madness' very well, but also I haven't seen him dance before and he wasn't too bad! I enjoyed the entire film, although the ending was predictable, the laughs in between were great!
BY GMB grader
Eccentric characters, humerus, serious, this movie does provide a fun romp for a fun filled 2 hours
BY Brian1 superstar
Whilst enjoyable not everything it could have or I thought should have been.
BY Random-One lister
The premise is on mental health, so be careful who you are going to invite to watch the movie/DVD with as you don't want anyone with issues thinking you are 'getting at them' in any way. - (Valid point, trust me).
A great light-hearted character study, with fantastic performances by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Academy Award, that give you some laugh-out-loud moments. I highly recommend this movie for a chilled out evening.
Showing 5 of 11 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
92%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Jennifer Lawrence is the standout in a tonally uneven, eccentric romantic dramedy. Full Review
This is a date movie that doesn't offer the sophistication it thinks it does, but is as enjoyable and good-natured as the genre requires. Full Review
It wraps up a little more cosily than the director’s hardcore fans might have liked but, for just over an hour, this is one of the strangest American comedies to emerge in quite some time. Full Review
It's the perfect material for Russell, who not only deals perceptively with the dizzying swings of manic depression, but makes it the fabric of a big, generous, happy-making ensemble comedy. Full Review
So good, it could almost be a terrific old classic. Full Review
Cooper and Lawrence expand their range in David O. Russell's winning comedy romance about two people struggling to rebuild their lives. Full Review
It's clever and cute and never lets you forget it. Full Review
Exuberant... does almost everything right. Full Review
In a script that never lapses into mundane or uninteresting language, the scenes between Pat and Tiffany are sculpted with an almost David Mamet-like sharpness. Full Review
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