That's what David O. Russell's very funny and uplifting new film, Silver Linings Playbook, explores. The main dilemma for the protagonist, Pat Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper), is that his behavior is erratic, at best. Pat is a bipolar, recently released from an 8-month mental hospital stint, where he was sent after nearly killing the man he discovered in the shower with his wife. Pat is capable of extreme violence and anxiety at a moment's notice, often caused by imagining his wedding song is playing, which he heard when he caught his wife. Pat's plan of returning to normalcy involves reading Hemingway novels and getting back into shape, so to show his estranged wife that he's getting his life together. He is incredibly disillusioned, as it seems the wife is completely out of the picture, having filed a restraining order against him, and is only shown briefly in the film.
Pat returns home to Philadelphia and is living with his parents Dolores and Pat Sr., played by Jacki Weaver and Robert DeNiro. Dolores is a nurturer, doing everything not to send Pat Jr. into an episode. Pat Sr. is a diehard Eagles fan, executing various superstitions during games. He tries to bond with Pat Jr. by asking him to watch games on Sunday, believing him to be a good luck charm. Pat Jr. is too focused on his manic quest to get back his wife. He finds a solution when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a promiscuous young widow, who has a lot of issues of her own. Tiffany is acquaintances with his wife, and agrees to help him deliver a love letter of sorts, on the condition that he be her dance partner for a city-wide competition. Pat Jr. is reluctant to the idea, but gives in. As they train together, as one may expect, they grow close and Pat's condition starts to improve drastically. But as the playoffs grow closer, Pat Sr. insists that Pat Jr. become part of what he believes is destiny for their home team, and Pat Jr. is caught between two obligations, which eventually become inextricably tied together.
The film's ending might disappoint some people, as it travels down a road taken by many rom-coms of the past. But this one feels more substantial because of what came before it. The Pat Sr. storyline is particularly fascinating in that he doesn't try to bond with his son in any other way than watching the game. Pat Sr. believes that revolving your life around your sports team is the only way to live, it's his religion. A winning Eagles team means the rest of your life will fall into place. It's interesting that the team is the Eagles, a historically average team, because it shows that never losing faith in something shows character, and that eventually you will be rewarded, which ties into Pat Sr.'s big bet at the end. This is DeNiro's best performance in 15 years, which isn't saying much looking what movies he's been in, but it's nice to see that he's still got his chops. Bradley Cooper, free from playing the hot arrogant leading man or douchebag boyfriend of the love interest, delivers his best performance yet. His detachment from normal social behavior, and his ignorance about it, provides much of the comic relief. The rope that holds it all together is Lawrence in a towering performance. I knew she could act from Winter's Bone, but she exchanges blows with DeNiro, and wins. The choices she makes from gestures and inflections even to how she walks with her sex-kitten body are all so magnetic. A couple scenes, involving her and Cooper's first date & a revelation about her Eagles fandom, are as close to Oscar-worthy as you can get. You can tell how much she enjoys playing this girl. She honestly is too young for this part, but her acting ability is well beyond her years, and the wizened maturity she brings to this brutally honest and curious character are a thrill to watch.
The co-MVP has to be the director David O. Russell. I never thought of him as a technical director, but there are some incredibly inventive camera movements. This has two effects. One is it makes the bipolarity of Pat and general craziness of all the cast, its own character. There are several frantic swooping movements starting at waist level, and end with an abrupt screech in someone's face. The camera itself is manic, and it helps immensely with envisioning what Pat goes through with his illness. The second effect is that it supplants that this is what Philadelphia is like. People know each other's secrets and aren't afraid to confront them about it. Pat instructs his friend that he's living a sham of a marriage. For better or worse, everyone is in everyone else's business. The dance sequence, even though it's short, is one of the most fun visual scenes I've seen this year. Like with The Fighter, Russell's fascination with these characters is felt, and I really believe he's one of the best auteurs living. I've never been to Philadelphia, nor to my knowledge have I met anyone from there, but I completely believe this family of people and neighbors exists in the real world.
This film is incredibly optimistic and romantic about the idea that compatibility with someone else can turn things around, no matter how dark things may seem. Pat and Tiffany fix each other, and may be still as crazy as before, but for all of us there is a silver lining, that if realized, can fulfill destiny... if you believe in that sort of thing.
4 out of 4 stars
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