Bradley Cooper is brilliant and the film is quite entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2018)

Maybe this is a biased review and the film itself does not deserve 8 stars but what the heck, Bradley Cooper deserves all those stars for such a nuanced and wonderful performance! I always thought of him as this hot dude from that overrated Hangover movie or the cool guy who did a lot of fancy walking in American Hustle, but in this film he is simply amazing! He gives an incredibly believable and controlled performance as the guy suffering from bipolar disorder who is trying to get better. Added bonus-he can dance too! Wow!
Jennifer Lawrence is kinda refreshing. I usually hate De Niro in anything other than in mafia movies but he wasn't bad either. The only bad casting choice was the therapist who was not at all convincing.
Best part is they kept the story to the central characters and their motivations rather than making it about circumstances. The characters in this film never play the victim card and are constantly trying to improve their lives. The other good thing about the film is that it never got too sentimental or preachy. It stayed light and entertaining throughout.