‘The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday. That’s guaranteed. I can’t begin to explain that. Or the craziness inside myself and everyone else. But guess what? Sunday’s my favorite day again. I think of what everyone did for me, and I feel like a very lucky guy’.
Silver Linings Playbook Film Review
Just like my review of ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ I have NOT read the book of this film and so am reviewing the film on its own cinematic merit and not as a comparison of its literary brother.
Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of Pat and his journey of self-improvement after spending eight months in psychiatric care for brutally assaulting his wife’s lover. Ex teacher Pat (played convincingly by Bradley Cooper) is allowed release under the conditions of co-operation with his parents and his several restraining orders. Pat’s mental instability keeps him convinced that there is still a chance to save his marriage, he believes he has a better chance of doing this with help from his new, equally damaged friend, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence).
The trailers I saw for this film got me hoping that it would deliver an insight into the mind and lifestyle of someone suffering from a psychological breakdown. Silver Linings Playbook seems to lack the nerve it takes to go into detail on such a sensitive subject matter, I wouldn’t for one second put that down to the film being poorly written, I think it was done simply so the film could be shown to a wider audience and there for enjoyed by more people. As in a lot of films the plots best bits are conventionally at the beginning, middle and end, but that doesn’t make it un-enjoyable to watch. The film as a whole is extremely likeable, watchable and even worth a second watch depending on what kind of film you’re into.
Jennifer Lawrence’s play the role of Tiffany, a disturbed young widow of a local police officer, now in torment with boundary and social issues that have resulted in her being fired from her job after sleeping with one too many coworkers. Tiffany gets quite a name for herself around the neighborhood but doesn’t seem to care, and in a vague attempt for redemption enters herself into a community dance competition in aid of a police charity. Unfortunately for Tiffany the dance is a pair only competition and so she needs to find a partner, you can see where this is going.
She eventually asks for the help of her new friend Pat who I mentioned earlier. Cooper shows how Pat is relentlessly optimistic and delusional with his obsession of proving to everybody that he has got his life back together and is ready to be the perfect husband to win his wife back. What the film does very well is make it painfully obvious that Pat is still sick, and is living with someone who, by nature and nurture, has transferred to Pat his own problems – namely, Pat Senior (Robert De Niro). Pat Senior is a borderline gambling addict running a bookie sideline due to losing his proper job, who also suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. But when Pat meets Tiffany, his best friends wife’s (who really doesn’t like him) sister, they quickly become strange kindred spirits and Tiffany offers to take a secret letter to Pat’s wife (sidestepping the consequences of breaking the rules of a restraining order) in return for him being her partner in the upcoming dance competition (predictably).
Although Coopers performance has been slated by a lot of other actors, reviewers and critics, I actually found myself enjoying it for its very human and organic feel that came across to me as believable throughout most of the film.
Cooper manages to create real comic value with his obsession with learned optimism, his “silver lining” search for the good side of his tragic situation, which, as everyone but him can see, can so easily turn into a bull in a china shop rage.
Silver Linings Playbook isn’t a film about mental illness or society, or anything you might have been hoping for. The films main focus is predictably romance, but the more the romance plays out the less fun the film is and the promise built up for funny scenes between the two main and dynamic characters goes fairly sharply out of the window. Because of this in film genre transition we can predict how the plot will play out, but just incase you’ve NEVER seen a film before I wont spoil the end for you.
The soundtrack and camera work are both notably brilliant and I truly believe they are one of the main reasons you’d give this film a second watch if not for my favorite scene in which Pat expresses his views on the end of Ernest Hemmingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’, that contrasts completely with the hopes he has for his own stories ending.
Overall I would say if you have time to watch this film then you won’t regret it, you just might not make time for yourself to give it a second go.
As I always say, ANY feedback on these reviews would be much appreciated! Feel free to agree, disagree, compliment or abuse me on the points that I’ve made about this film or any of the others! Thanks for reading, should have another one up soon all being well! – Leave a comment on any post, Facebook me or tweet me with any requests for film reviews you would like to see me do!
Many thanks,
George.
The Earl of George 