"Silver Linings Playbook" And The Lessons Learned

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2013)

I was not prepared for "Silver Linings Playbook". I was armed to hate it. I saw all the Oscar hype the Weinstein Company surrounded this film and I was loaded to cut it off at the ankles. And then, I saw it. In real terms, "Silver Linings Playbook" is a messy, disheveled little boy with dirt ground into the knees of his pants and snot running down his nose. The story sucks you in and gently shakes you. This is not a typical Hollywood film. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence give outstanding performances. Not since "The Graduate" (1967) have I thought this long and hard about a couple well after the final reel unspools. Like Benjamin and Elaine in the former, I want Pat & Tiffany to make it in the latter. Buy it on DVD.