You know, it's something different..

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2014)

Let's establish two things before I review this title:
1. Yes I'm watching the movie two years after it released worldwide
2. No I did not know its based on a novel until I saw the credits roll and I still haven't read the book
Well now that we've established this much (and you've decided whether reading this review is worth your time or not), let's jump right in.
Silver Linings Playbook is about a former teacher Pat Solitano who moves back in with his parents after a brief stint in a mental institution, and tries to reconcile things with his ex-wife. Tiffany comes in somewhere along the way and things get complicated for good ol' Pat. You know if you're reading the summary for the first time and you haven't seen the movie, I guess you'll have pretty much the same reaction as I did; what's so great about this movie? It just sounds too bland! Is it the power cast that fuels such a rating or can there actually be a good story here?
The answer is a bit of both. Bradley Cooper doesn't quite fit into his role so easily like how I do into my 40 inch waistline pajamas but he still does a good job. You want to see his character evolve because he comes out of the institution in a certain mental state and you expect that to change naturally in some way but then he overdoes it towards the end and that can be putting off; you don't radically change overnight, it's not quite possible. The more finer tuned performances were Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver who do a splendid job as Pat's folks. Their roles don't work best together but apart in those singular scenes as father to son or mom to son; that's beautiful drama right there. Moving on to Jennifer Lawrence, I really enjoyed her character in the movie and I found she played her role quite brilliantly. The rest of the supporting cast did a wonderful job as well especially Dash Mihok (read the wacko brother from Ray Donovan) who sort of just made me laugh every time he came on scene.
On to the story line, I did find it to be something different. I mean the outcome is sort of realized mid-way and/or after, but the movie is shot in such a way that it leaves you guessing as to how things might turn out for Pat. It's that beautiful combination of comedy and drama which leads to this sort of thinking. However I did find the story line to drag a bit every now and then; it could have been to lay more ground work and give us more insight as to how Pat thinks and reacts in situations. But again the simplicity of the story makes it a good movie to just sit back, relax and enjoy. It's for those quiet nights when you're by yourself or with that special someone and you just want to watch a simple yet beautiful drama.
So go on ahead and rent this one, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!