Following his release from a mental institution, a man comes home to live with his parents. He soon meets a woman in the neighborhood, and they bond through their oddities

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2014)

Pat Solitano is an interesting man. The audience meets him just as he is being released from a mental institution after serving his time for assaulting the man who was sleeping with his wife. Though he remains aware of his problem, he refuses to take his prescribed medication, and he struggles through his time on the screen. With a mind disillusioned with the idea that his wife who left him still loves him, and that he just needs to talk to her, Pat is visibly incompetent of letting his past mistakes go. Although his parents do their best to point him in the right direction, he insists on trying to go back in time. When he meets Tiffany, he finds someone who he can use to send written letters to his ex-wife. As time goes on, however, he begins to realize that his past life isn't important, and that the present (Tiffany) is what he should pay attention to. Tiffany is troubled in her own way. Her husband was killed from a fatal car crash, and she hasn't been the same since. Looking for some form of solace and acceptance, she became, shall we say, a loose girl. She has made herself a vulnerable object, and she is desperate for a way out. Once she meets Pat, she finds someone who is suffering in his own way. Though at first their personalities clash, they soon find that the other is exactly what the other needs to go through life. Pat Sr. is a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, or at least that's what he is on the surface. With dreams of a restaurant of his own and his savings on the line, the older man has become very frenzied with the success of his favorite football team. Although he denies that superstition has become a part of his game-viewing routine, he has exceeded the label of a "crazed fan". Although it does not initially come out, he truly cares for his son, and he soon puts his entire faith in his son's ambitions.
My Thoughts This is a film about people. Though the plot itself is somewhat basic, it is the people that flow through it that make it the great film that it is. On multiple occasions, director David O. Russell has been quoted as saying that he doesn't care how the script works out, just as long as the characters are presented in a manner that conveys the script's message(s). Though he had a relative success in Three Kings (1999), the director finally hit the big time following the back-to- back successes with The Fighter (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook. Like many other directors, Russell frequently works with the same handful of actors, and this grouping is quite an impressive bunch. Though he has just begun an undoubtedly promising career, the director has repeatedly worked with Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, and Robert De Niro. If he can keep being at the helm of gem like he has done so far, I cannot see how he cannot join the ranks of the best directorial careers in cinematic history. The acting across the entire cast in this film is one of the best I've seen in a while. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are both brilliant in their portrayal of the complex Pat and Tiffany, and Robert De Niro delivers a performance that does not take over the movie, but it fits perfectly into the supporting aspects of the film. This film received quite a bit of critical attention, and it was nominated for 8 Oscars: Picture, Best Actor for Cooper, Best Actress for Lawrence, Best Supporting Actor for De Niro, Best Supporting Actress for Jacki Weaver, Adapted Screenplay, Directing, and Film Editing. Although the lone win was for Jennifer Lawrence, I found Cooper's and De Niro's performances to be very notable. I attribute this large amount of losses to the fact that this particular year in cinema featured a large amount of great films that were based on historical events, particularly Lincoln and Argo. Based on the mission to save Americans stuck in the Iran Hostage Crisis, Argo took home Best Picture, and as for Best Actor category, Daniel Day-Lewis took home the award for his performance in Lincoln. Though I mean this as a joke, it could also be a true statement; who isn't going to vote for Abraham Lincoln? I think that this film brings to the screen a great collection of characters, and I recommend this film for that same reason. Now I must warn you, the language is quite bad. Though the F-words do fly, they fly with purpose. Contrary to some films where curses are used as frequent as punctuation, this film only uses vulgarity when it is necessary to portray strong emotions and feelings. This is a film where you have to stay focused in order to acquire the full experience. Though it may be slow at times, it is the characters that drive this film, not the plot. A bit slow at times, and I have trouble accepting the fact that Pat Sr. would bet on his son's dance performance. I understand that this shows that he is caring for his son and what his son wants, but I found this a little too cliché for such a great movie otherwise.
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