Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Rating: R
Director: David O. Russell
Quick Impressions:
I’ve been excited about this movie for a long time. For one thing, I almost always like David O. Russell movies. I appreciate his sense of humor and his ability to find humanizing comedy in situations others might mistakenly consider tragic. The Fighter was probably my favorite Oscar contender of 2010. Also, I have loved Jennifer Lawrence since first seeing her in Winter’s Bone (probably my second favorite Oscar film that year, though I also really enjoyed Black Swan).
The other thing is, I’m always on the lookout for good, realistic depictions of bipolar disorder in popular film and television. I love Tom Wilkinson’s Oscar nominated portrayal of Arthur Edens in Michael Clayton so much because his mania seems surprisingly realistic. Not only that, but the film actually shows that though Edens is raving and out of control, people who take the trouble to try to understand him notice that he’s raving coherently, breathing new life into the old adage, “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” The Edens character beautifully illustrates a frustrating truth about bipolar disorder—when you’re manic, you seem much crazier to other people than you do inside your head. Trying to coherently express thoughts that are racing far more quickly than you can verbalize them is frustratingly impossible.
Though I’ve never read the novel The Silver Linings Playbook, I thought that Pat Solitano was bipolar based on the movie’s previews, and he is. Bradley Cooper (an actor I’ve never particularly liked before) does a fantastic job playing a thirty-something man coming to terms with an unexpected diagnosis that makes him reevaluate his entire life to that point. And I have to say, to me, Cooper’s portrayal of the disorder seems incredibly authentic.
(I get annoyed by the way the media too commonly portrays bipolar people as perpetually demented, dangerous mass murderers/sex offenders and equally annoyed when people casually misuse the word bipolar to mean “flaky.” You don’t get committed for being flaky.)
In all honesty, the only element of the movie that I found hard to believe was that Pat hadn’t been diagnosed bipolar until he was well into his thirties. But then I had to remind myself of three things 1) Men less frequently seek psychiatric help, 2) Dysfunctional families often view disturbed behavior as normal out of habit, 3) Men are usually more physically violent than women, so violent outbursts may in some social settings (such as Eagles’ games) be seen as relatively normal.
The Good:
I loved the movie. It’s extremely funny. I laughed out loud numerous times, and most f the time, other people in the audience were laughing with me.
The characters are so rich, realistic, and likable, clearly the result of a strong script paired with equally strong performances (and also, no doubt, inspired direction). There’s not actually much to the story. It’s just about people coming together to engage in meaningful relationships that help give them direction and stability. But that’s life, basically, and it’s more difficult for some of us than for others.
Watching the worried expressions on Pat’s parents’ faces as he talked about his goals, I thought, Well, this rings pretty true. When you’re manic, you think you ought to be accomplishing grandiose things (and when you’re depressed, you’re railing that you haven’t accomplished them), whereas your parents are basically thinking, “We just don’t want you to be dead. Please somehow stay alive until we die.”
Another thing I loved was Pat’s frustration that nobody trusted him. Trust takes so long to build, and just one stupid mistake (one act that’s “not you”) undoes it all in an instant. And then everybody is watching you all the time.
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (Jennifer Lawrence):
People really seem to like Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress this year, and I can see why. It’s a relatively weak category (based on what I’ve seen so far), and Lawrence has proven time and again that she has enormous talent and the ability to anchor a movie.
I just love her. She’s wonderful at communicating emotion onscreen. It’s like she uses her entire body to focus energy that she then directs outward at the audience. I acted with a couple of people who could do that in high school, but when I tried it, I generally just ended up being extra shrill and pitchy and losing my voice and everyone’s interest.
She is really good as recently widowed, troubled soul Tiffany. Watching the movie, I identified strongly with Pat, and Lawrence’s Tiffany really reminded me of a close friend of mine from college (particularly her abrupt and unapologetic exit from dinner). Through her first several scenes, I thought that perhaps people were overpraising a good but not great performance from Lawrence, but then came the scene in the diner. She does that amazingly well, transitioning from one emotion to the next not only quickly, but fluidly. It seems sudden but entirely realistic.
She’s also amazing after the dance. I really connected with the character then, and I envy the actress’s talent. I can’t imagine that she won’t be nominated, and I’m really not sure who would beat her. Helen Hunt might be in supporting; the child star from Beasts of the Southern Wild is probably too young to win; most people don’t seem as excited by Cloud Atlas as I was. Helen Mirren is always a possibility, I suppose, and then there are like two-hundred foreign films I still need to see.) Anyway, I really like Lawrence’s chances.
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (Bradley Cooper):
I have never liked Bradley Cooper—until now. (I don’t know why, either. It’s not that I actively disliked him, more that he just left me cold. When People named him Sexiest Man Alive last year, I thought, “Him?” (Imagine Jason Bateman commenting on Ann in Arrested Development.) He just always seemed like a really boring guy to me, but he’s definitely compelling in this role.
As I said, I laughed a lot during this movie, but there was one scene when my husband looked over at me sort of apprehensively, and I kind of winced. (I’m not sure what he was thinking my reaction might be, but I’d have to be seriously deluded not to find that scene recognizably familiar.)
When Pat is looking for his wedding video—Wow! I don’t even know what to say. Cooper definitely portrays bipolar behavior perfectly in that scene. Part of the credit goes to David O. Russell, of course (and probably also to the book’s author), but Cooper’s performance is astonishingly convincing. Based on that scene alone, he deserves a Best Actor nomination.
(Weird aside—I also find Cooper much more attractive physically when he has a cut above the bridge of his nose suggesting that he might start beating people up at any second. I’m not sure why that is since I am definitely not attracted to men who might start beating me up at any second, and my husband—obviously the most attractive man in the world—almost never has a cut above the bridge of his nose.)
(Weird aside #2—If I were a man, I probably would have gotten arrested a lot in my early twenties, which makes the convenience of being able to pee (accurately) standing up seem far less compelling.)
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (Robert De Niro):
On the drive home from the theater, my husband remarked in wonder, “You know, I’ve never seen Robert De Niro’s early work. I basically know him from Meet the Parents. Now I see why people think he’s such a good actor.” (This made me remember back when he used to be my favorite actor for a few months when I was in high school, and my sister and I got obsessed with the movie Sleepers.)
De Niro is really good as Pat’s loving but troubled father. I haven’t read the book but kept wondering if perhaps Pat Sr. is bipolar himself and has used OCD type behaviors as a life-long coping mechanism. In any event, I appreciated the way the movie showed that mental illness doesn’t just come out of nowhere. I think De Niro’s character also shows that there’s hope for Pat to have a happy and satisfying (if not quite normal) life, despite his special challenges.
De Niro has a wonderful moment when he wakes Pat up to talk to him about football (or rather, to use football to talk to him). Best Supporting Actor is such a crowded category this year, teeming with worthy performances, but De Niro deserves a nomination.
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (Jacki Weaver):
Jacki Weaver does a lot with the part she’s given. Even when she isn’t speaking, her eyes speak volumes.
Her best moments are all non-verbal, and those wounded/worried/loving stares of hers were so convincing that I left the theater with the vague impulse to buy my mother flowers and take her out to dinner to apologize for something I can’t quite remember.
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (David O. Russell):
Here’s what I love about David O. Russell’s movies. They leave you with the idea that, even if you’re not perfect—if you happen to be damaged in some way or deemed dysfunctional—you’re still allowed to have a life, a life as filled with love and meaning as you can make it. Nobody’s family is perfect. Nobody’s life is perfect. And if you embrace the humor in human imperfection, you’re a lot less likely to wind up in a worse place than your crazy parents’ house.
Russell deserves a nomination for directing, so I hope he gets one.
Based on the strength of the film, I also think he deserves a nomination for Adapted Screenplay (though as I said, I haven’t read the book). (Basically, anything written in the twenty-first century usually gets read after the movie by me, or at least after I know about the movie.)
Here’s one thing I loved about the way the movie was written. Pat’s ranting critique of A Farewell to Arms is highly relevant to the way his own story ends. No spoilers here, but that was a little metadramatic flourish that I really enjoyed.
Best Scene:
The scene that felt most authentic to me (by a landslide) was the search for the wedding video, but the scene that I enjoyed most may have been the dinner party. Two great performances collide, however, in the scene at the diner.
Funniest Scene/Best Joke:
Pat’s comments about his lack of an iPhone really cracked me up.
Best Action Sequence:
This isn’t an action movie, but the final dance routine is certainly something else.
Runner-up: The Eagles’ game. (The thrill is more in the anticipation. “Now son, we know you’re violent and the police are watching you, so stay out of trouble and go to this Eagles’ game.” Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.)
The Other Performances:
I was so surprised and pleased to see Julia Stiles. My sister’s never liked her, but I think she’s a perfectly capable and charming actress (albeit one with limited range). I thought she was very good as Tiffany’s arguably more successful sister.
It was nice to see Dash Mihok, too. When he was Benvolio in Romeo + Juliet (after a small part in Sleepers), I expected his career to take off, but it never really did. I was glad to see him as the police officer assigned to keep an eye on Pat. I wish he would get a leading role in a substantial movie sometime.
Chris Tucker was great as Pat’s friend Danny, too. It’s really nice to see him do something different, more subdued. (It’s funny when an escaped mental patient is more subdued than your usual screen persona.) I actually wanted to see more of Danny, but the movie already felt long. Maybe I should read the book.
John Ortiz makes the henpecked Ronnie pretty sympathetic, Anupam Kher gets a delightful line as the only psychiatrist present at a gathering of people not thinking very soundly, and Paul Herman is so convincing as Robert De Niro’s bookie friend that I would place a bet with him right now.
The Negatives:
The only real problem with the movie is that compared to the first half, the second half is slow. I’m not sure that’s actually a problem, though, since Pat begins taking his medication about halfway through the movie. So if the second half of the movie lacks a certain manic energy, perhaps that’s just a good old fashioned dose of verisimilitude.
One character I could never get very interested in was Pat’s brother. I didn’t care about him, and I didn’t care if Pat got along with him or not. The character probably could have been cut from the movie with nothing lost. (True, he’s the one who had tickets to the Eagles’ game, but I actually thought the “going to the Eagles’ game” interlude was what slowed the pace down the most. I realize the sequence accomplished certain necessary things, and the mayhem was certainly entertaining to anticipate, but I really don’t see why his brother had to be there when Ronnie was also present.) Maybe when I watch the film a second time, though, I’ll feel differently.
Overall:
Silver Linings Playbook presents a very realistic depiction of someone who has just gained awareness of his bipolar disorder. It’s also very funny, touching, and occasionally romantic. After years of existing, Bradley Cooper has finally gotten my attention (that he’s been craving, I know) with a very powerful and authentic lead performance. Jennifer Lawrence is arguably even better as the troubled Tiffany, and both Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver give Oscar worthy supporting performances as Pat’s parents. Surely this movie will get nominations for Picture and Actress, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the supporting performances, the director/screenwriter, and possibly even Danny Elfman’s score nominated, too. I loved the movie. I plan to own the Blu-Ray.