Silver Linings Playbook Review
December 24, 2012
With an indie trailer and a promising soundtrack, I was bound to leave Silver Linings Playbook on a high. Jennifer Lawrence's brilliance only added to this high.
Even though The Hunger Games really put her on the map, Jennifer Lawrence has been wowing audiences and critics alike since her role as Ree in Winter’s Bone back in 2010. Since then, she’s been a young Mystique in X-Men: First Class, and Anton Yelchin’s love interests in Like Crazy and The Beaver. Despite this already impressive back catalogue, her performance as Tiffany in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is her best yet.
Pat (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything: his house; his job; and his wife. After spending eight months institutionalised, he moves back home with his parents (Jacki Weaver and Robert De Niro). Determined to get his life on track, Pat remains positive and hopeful that he will get back together with his wife, despite the circumstances that lead to their separation. When he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a girl with a tragic past and problems of her own, events take an unexpected turn. Offering to help Pat reconnect with his estranged wife; Tiffany asks for only one thing in return: that he be her dance partner in an upcoming competition.
Like many films that have come out recently, both the casting and script for Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is fantastic. Bradley Cooper is surprisingly superb in a difficult role; Lawrence is just as wonderful, enchanting and beautiful as ever. The impressive cast all boast perfect performances, with some of the most realistic, affecting portrayals of mental illness in cinema; much better than Dunst’s in von Trier’s Melancholia. The honesty in Silver Linings Playbook is one of the most endearing elements, proving that mental illness touches every one in one way or another: be it through acute obsessive compulsive disorder (displayed through Pat Senior’s pre-game rituals), manic depression (Pat) or a hinted history of sex addiction (Tiffany).
Silver Linings Playbook is one of the most memorable, touching and honest films of 2012, if a little predictable. A refreshing, yet realistic, take on the classic rom-com; the movie injects much needed life into a tired genre. It certainly made me laugh more than many of the most celebrated comedies this year. The tenderhearted tale of these wounded souls is serious and mature without being stuffy, depressing or boring; there are more than enough lighthearted moments to lift even the darkest of plot threads. And of course, there is indeed a silver lining at the end of this film, but fear not: it’s without the saccharine sweetness so often associated with others of its genre.
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Glad you liked it, I’m really looking forward to it!
I don’t like Lawrence because of the downright stupid things she says in interviews and talk shows, but she is quite talented. But I really hope she will be brilliant in it, otherwise my dislike for her may ruin the experience for me.
Thanks Sati, I hope you like it despite your dislike for Jennifer Lawrence; hope she makes it up to you
Great review!…SLP is a wonderful film and Jennifer Lawrence is particularly brilliant, Lawrence is such an amazing talent along with being very natural and likable. Rare in Hollywood.
Thanks Jules, I love her!
@sati….Jennifer Lawrence’s interviews are one of the things people love about her….she’s down to earth, self deprecating with a goofy sense of humor…ie., not scripted or fake. It would appear, considering Lawrence’s reputation for being well liked, genuine that you’re in the minority.
I like Lawrence’s humour and quirkiness too, but everyone’s entitled to their own opinion
@Jules You should really check what people write about her – whenever there is news article or new photo form Hunger games you can see that she isn’t that well liked – it is pretty well known fact she is kind of a hillbilly and her lack of grace really isn’t helping her.
When somebody thinks it’s a good idea and something that is funny to tell the story of almost running down a person, perhaps they should seek help from someone who will write things for them to say.
I think this is a really fair thing to say about Lawrence, and something I didn’t know about her. I try not to let people’s personal lives effect my opinions of their films, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen (Mel Gibson and Polanski, especially). I’m pretty clueless about many famous peoples real lives, whenever I pick up magazines I only ever know the film stars that are mentioned!
Awesome review. Really looking forward to seeing this one. Jennifer Lawrence will become a legend, I can tell. She’s the next Kate Winslet who’s the next Meryl Streep.
Thanks Fernando! I adore her. She easily has the potential to become one of the greatest actresses around, especially judging by her back catalogue so far. She’s got such a bright future ahead of her.
Yes, she definitely does. Very young, very talented and just breathtakingly beautiful. She’ll be big sooner rather than later. Maybe she’ll be this year’s “Best Actress” at the Oscars.
Love me some Jennifer Lawrence since I saw her in Winters Bone. Looking forward to checking this one out.
Thanks for the comment! I hope you like it. I really need to check out Winter’s Bone. I’ve heard so, so many great things about it
This was one of those films that goes by so quick. I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film, I actually wanted to see more of Chris Tucker!
I could take or leave Chris Tucker, but was impressed by how likeable he was in it!