A feel-good, enjoyable comedy-romance

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2013)

"Silver Linings Playbook" belongs to the category of good and sane American comedies, with some drama and romance, where all the necessary components are carefully and wisely rationed out to give rise to a pleasant and always enjoyable product. First, a well-constructed plot, that besides some conventions moves forward quickly and grippingly, and never concedes a single moment of boredom; then, an intelligent screenplay, that without sounding that original, is able to touch some emotional chords in a delicate way, with the addition of some funny lines. In addition, the intelligent use of a camera, to focus on the eyes of the protagonists to try to capture their inner distress to the utmost, and the emotional power of a varied and intense soundtrack, ranging from soul, to jazz to pop. Given all this, let's add a very strong cast, and the successful result is granted. The couple Cooper-Lawrence works perfectly, they are fully in sync, the former offers and unusually intense performance, and the latter gives a very promising adult-performance, considering her young age. But (and that goes without saying), the best performance goes to the always exhilarating Robert De Niro, who plays the obsessive-compulsive father with both strong and funny pathos and interacts with the loving mother Jackie Weaver in a very joyfully and heartfelt manner. To sum up, if you are looking for a feel-good comedy, just enjoy this comedy, which deserves the merit of facing the relation between mental disorder and love, with that amusing but respectful attitude, which is not so easy to find in movies.