Film review: Silver Linings Playbook

Director/Writer: David O. Russell (based on the novel by Matthew Quick)
Main Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro
Runtime: 122 minutes
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Brief Summary: After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
(source:IMDB).

Upon first glance at the trailer, Silver Linings Playbook would appear to be a typical rom-com, starring hunky Bradley Cooper and rising star Jennifer Lawrence , but thankfully it is so much more.

David O'Russell's film is heartwarming and heart-breaking in equal measures, and present Pat's bipolar disorder through a raw depiction that is sometimes brutal, but always honest..

This is definitely Bradley Cooper's best performance to date, propelling him into a role with real depth and sincerity.  The film follows Pat's journey following his release from a mental health facility following months of treatment.  Determined to win his wife back, we watch as he tries to figure out ways to reach a reconciliation, despite the small problem of a restraining order. Cue Tiffany (Lawrence), a widow and recovering sex addict, who develops a wary friendship with Pat, promising communication with his wife, in exchange for being her dance partner for an upcoming competition. The film's mental health theme is not given the typical rom-com gloss with all their problems 'cured' and/or forgotten by the end of the movie, but they do show how the characters can use their vulnerability as a strength.


.The film offers really interesting and believable character studies and a true film of self-discovery through heartache and learning to love again.