This is one of those weird unexpected films. I didn’t expect it to be nearly as good as people said, while it is simultaneously not as good as the Academy says. This film has Shakespeare In Love syndrome. There’s nothing wrong with Silver Linings Playbook, at all. In fact, it’s rather good. But Oscar good?
This is one of those weird unexpected films. I didn’t expect it to be nearly as good as people said, while it is simultaneously not as good as the Academy says. This film has Shakespeare In Love syndrome. There’s nothing wrong with Silver Linings Playbook, at all. In fact, it’s rather good. But Oscar good?
Silver Linings Playbook revolves around former teacher Pat Solatano, Jr., who, after a stint in a mental institution, moves back into his parents house and tries to find a way to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get complicated when he meets Tiffany, a mysterious woman with her own problems.
This is probably the best work I’ve seen out of Bradley Cooper. He plays Pat in this and he’s diagnosed manic depressive and he’s isn’t crazy about taking his meds (hey that was a funny). And he’s utterly concvinced that he and his ex-wife are still destined to be together even though he caught her cheating with a fellow teacher and opened up a can of whupass on him. Hence why Pat went to the mental hospital. So here’s a guy who’s on a lot of people’s shit list and then his mom gets him out of the hospital before the docs say he’s ready.
Cooper does a good job of acting like a man that can’t accept his situation. He is completely deluded into believign that he and his ex will eventually get back together. Then his friend’s wife dupes him into meeting this woman, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. She is also really great here as a young widow with a, uh, colorful reputation. She really is great, though, and I’m not just saying that because I’d be happy to just watch her paint her nails. I think she’s genuinely talented.
Robert DeNiro plays Pat’s father, an avid, nay, pathological, Philadelphia Eagles fan. He’s out of work and basically supports himself and his wife on making football bets for people in the neighborhood. He’s into family time and loyalty, but has doubts about his son’s ability to get well. There’s certainly a certain connection to this film as I am also an Eagles fan and lived in Philly for years. Oh, here’s a kick: Chris Tucker is in this as Danny, a fellow patient of Pat’s at the hospital. He is at his absolute least annoying here, and a few poubnds heavier. He’s even pretty darn reasonable. But every once in a while, you get a flash of that character from The Fifth Element and you cringe slightly.
Frankly, everyone here is really good. It’s not particularly surprising in where it goes, but with these perfomances, and a good love story that actually has a bit of drama, it’s a fine film and easily well worth watching. It surprised me in that way, as I really didn’t care about seeing it one way or another. In fact, no one else in my family was interested in seeing it over the holidays, either. As we look at al the Oscar nominations Silver Linings Playbook has received, I can only tink back to Shakespeare In Love and how many people felt then. It’s a really great little film, with a great director. David O. Russell brought us The Fighter, Three Kings, and Flirting With Disaster, all good films. But somehow I just can’t bring myself to herald this as an Oscar winner. It does, if Shakespeare In Love is any indication, have a chance at winning best picture. It has a good love story, it’s got the drama of mental illness, it has some humor, and a great cast that performs well.
…Gee, when I say it like that, why the Hell don’t I love it enough for an Oscar? Because it just didn’t touch me enough, I guess. And no I don’t mean like THAT. Of course THAT would deserve an Oscar. When can I cover the AVN Awards for CFN? Ha – ok, sorry. I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah – that’s really what it boils down to with films we each think are worthy of such high accolades. Just off the top of my head, I think Life of Pi is more deserving, but then, there will certainly be others that do not.
So, when all is said and done, I think Silver Linings Playbook is a four kittenhand film. But For an Academy Award, it better be a solid five. But it certainly is worth seeing, so go to it.
~ Neil T. Weakley, your average movie-goer, still wondering how Moonrise Kingdom got snubbed.