With so many movies being released these days it's hard to
decide what movie to rent or watch. If you have a particular favorite genre you
usually lean that direction. If you hear from a friend you might use that to
decide. Most of us rarely step out of our comfort zone though. Make a decision
to do that tonight and rent SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.
Forget the cover or ads, this is not a romantic comedy.
There is romance and there are some funny moments, but the heart of this film
revolves around mental illness. Not in the usual depressing sort of way but in
a way that opens up discussion about the topic and that makes you realize you
can have problems but still find hope.
Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a bipolar sufferer whose mother
gets him released from a mental institution after 8 months inside. Pat went
there after he returned home early one day to find his wife in the shower with
a colleague and attacking him. This was the trigger that brought about the
realization that he was suffering from bipolar disorder.
Once home we get a glimpse of where Pat's problems may have
begun. His father Pat Sr. (Robert DeNiro) is a book operator who is slightly
OCD to say the least. Problems in the past between son and father are history
but at the same time affect much of what happens in the present. Trying to
rebuild bridges and solve those problems makes up part of this story.
Pat is trying to change his life all in the hopes of getting
back with his ex-wife, who has a restraining order out against him. He runs,
works out and is reading the syllabus of books she recommends to her students.
She wanted him to lose weight, to be better read and to find a way to enjoy
life. Now he's trying in hopes of their reuniting.
Pat's friend Ronnie invites him to dinner and there
introduces him to his wife's sister, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). Tiffany has
problems of her own with her husband having died a few months earlier and
having just lost her job. The two seem
at first to but heads but eventually a friendship begins to flourish when
Tiffany suddenly shows up to run alongside Pat while he jogs.
As a bond slowly forms between the two and friendship
blossoms, Pat remains focused on his ex-wife.
Tiffany continues to try and build on their friendship, eventually agreeing
to get a letter to Pat's ex in return for one favor. She wants him to help her
by being her dance partner in a ballroom dancing competition. Pat agrees,
anything to bring his ex back.
The nice part about this film is the chemistry between the
two actors in the leads as well as the supporting cast that surrounds them.
There isn't a wasted moment of film used in the telling of this story and you
find yourself rooting not only for the main characters but everyone involved
here. The icing on the cake is the slow development of the characters rather
than the rushed feeling most movies present these days. Instead of Pat or
Tiffany suddenly becoming a different ball of emotions, their changes develop
as the story unfolds making it a more complete and realistic film.
The charm of this film is that you can't help but love these
characters as portrayed because they seem so real. You want the best for them,
you want them to succeed and until the final moments of the film you're just
not quite sure if that will happen or not. It also provides a platform to leap
from if there is someone with a mental illness in your real life. The topic has
always seemed taboo but films like this will make it easier to approach someone
or to open up and say "I have a problem."
The highest praise I can offer for this film is to say I
think it should have taken the Oscar for best picture. It is a movie I felt
like I could sit back and watch all over again just as soon as it finished.
Finding a movie like that these days is rare indeed.
Click here to order.
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