Review: Silver Linings Playbook

There are certain movies that cover emotional material that seems to hit a brick wall with being accessible to the greater public. It’s understandable, some topics are just too alienating, too unique to the situation; it is one thing to witness horrible crimes afflicted against someone and relate to concepts of physical pain, but it’s another to sympathize with emotional or psychological distresses that one has yet to endure or even be around; to see someone fighting an invisible demon. I’ve seen many great movies that have covered ground that I’ve lived and breathed so they’ve resonated with me, a feature serving as a testament that I’m not alone in my experiences. But when presenting said movies to others, they seem ineffectual- they fail to relay the experience to the viewer properly. Does it make said movies bad? Or do they fail to serve the purpose that the medium hopes to achieve? I would argue yes and no to the latter. The solace it provides me that I’m not alone is invaluable, but still, I hope to use film as a way to engage others with what I’ve been through, to ache with the character the way they would with a more topical human dramatic piece. This fall may be the first time I’ve seen a movie that’s humanized and created a vehicle for understanding mental illness accessible to more than just those who have been afflicted with David O. Russell’s masterpiece, Silver Linings Playbook. 

Silver Linings Playbook is, undeniably, a special movie. From the moment Bradley Cooper appears onscreen, he’s sympathetic- a relentlessly optimistic recovering bipolar patient treading water, attempting to reintegrate himself into the real world. His determination to win back his wife is the focal point of the movie, a flailing and heartbreaking desperation that strikes a nerve almost instantly. What’s most incredible about Pat is how tangible the wall is that blocks him from relating with his family and friends, alienation between the way his brain works and others trying to understand so they could help him. It’s beautiful, it hurts, and it’s so fucking real.  Silver Linings Playbook works particularly well in replicating reality and the constantly changing undercurrent that drives life- heartbreak, laughter, pain, resentment- all bleed together, driving the viewer to shift dramatically from tears to unbound joy seamlessly. To call the movie an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement. 

Moreso, there’s a relatability to each character onscreen, even when their perspectives are combating one another. Even characters who receive limited screen time feel fulfilled and three-dimensional, a partial echoing of our own lives, but also due to the mind-blowing direction of David O. Russell. Mentioning Russell, it’s hard not to discredit the blurred genre lines of the movie- at once at tense family drama, a goofy dialogue-driven comedy and a blissful indie romance, Russell presents the film as if he’s set up a camera in a household rather than creating a movie, cutting the best bits together. Gone is the barrier that blocks the audience from submersing itself into the film; rather, it feels like we KNOW everyone onscreen.

It should go without saying that the cast is phenomenal. Jennifer Lawrence is that rare teen star who demonstrates her chops for acting professionally and with the integrity of a veteran to the stage. She shares screen time with Robert De Niro reverently, often upstaging the legendary actor, despite his solid comedic performance here. Bradley Cooper remains my biggest shock for the movie, delivering his wild-eyed, erratic Pat as crushingly loveable. 

My biggest joy here was the swift romantic plot between Tiffany and Pat feeling like a true, sustainable relationship. The chemistry is on fire, and the development of the romance doesn’t feel contrived. In fact, watching the pair onscreen felt like watching love grow for the first time within the two characters. There’s nothing wild, no far-fetched gesture of dedication, just pure feeling found between two people existing on the edges of society.

I won’t lie to you, I’m at a bit of a loss for words with this one. After seeing the movie twice, I was in awe-struck both times. Being a cinephile, not unlike an addict, is a constant search for a rush. Sometimes I wait years before something resonates with me to a point where I can’t stop talking about it, let alone thinking about it. Silver Linings Playbook is that movie that simultaneously confounds and amazes. Sometimes the most magical moments come in simple packages; walking out of Silver Linings Playbook is the kind of film experience that makes life seem a bit more colorful, that makes family and friends and the loving support system we take for granted seem so much more important. I can’t sing its praises loudly enough- there’s something for everyone here.

Grade: A