Good, but they've all made better

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2014)

Watched this on a large screen last weekend.
Liked it, but not over-the-moon for it, like most critics have been. Might be due to missing a couple of plot-points, but hey, I think Russell/Bale/Cooper have made better. That being said, it's probably the best release in months (not counting '..Llewyn...', of course.
Starting off, right from the beginning, the movie became meta, not in a good way, where attention was being called to Bale's physical characteristics. It seemed more like a treatise on what the actor had undergone in prepping for this role, rather than a look at the character himself. No denying his effort, but subtlety is an art that was Not practiced by either the star or the director in these few sequences. Very self-indulgent, and took me right out of the movie.
I loved 'The Fighter' as well as 'Silver Linings playbook', even though there were moments of self-indulgence in the latter as well, they were not put in to the point of being overwhelming.
As it has been said many times while referencing this movie, Jennifer Lawrence steals every scene her character's in, and she could well give stiff competition to other Oscar noms in the BSA category. One of the things being missed by most critics/reviewers, is the fact that every scene with Louis CK's a hoot, and Cooper's interplay with him is very, very hilarious. Sadly, unacknowledged.
A cameo by another scene-stealer has the intended effect, and added to the overall charm of the movie. Renner does well in a very thankless role.
Conclusively, definitely a great watch, but not one of Russell's best, and definitely not deserving of all the Oscar love, IMHO.
A shout-out for the editing, for though the movie's a tad overlong in hindsight, it never outstays its welcome. Go watch it at a local cinema close by.....