Over-rated and disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (20 February 2014)

I really wanted to like this movie. I'd seen all the marketing, the plot interested me and the awards buzz seemed to indicate that the acting was second to none.
On the acting, the film didn't really disappoint. Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic, and all the recognition she has been getting is well deserved. The other leads, Bale, Adams & Cooper also performed extremely well. However, the material fell far short of the hype.
The story was confused an awful lot of the time, and the screenplay was just bland (covered over with colourful language to make up for its deficiencies). I heard that much of the dialogue was improvised, which may explain why the plot was so unclear. The ending didn't quite allow me to forgive the dull spot in the middle of the film.
All that being said, the soundtrack and production design were both great, so it was an excellent film visually. It just lacked a gravitas and a depth which I was expecting.