Hilarious, heartbreaking and heart-warming

Rating: 8/10 (5 December 2012)

Bradley Cooper characteristically charms in David O. Russell's hilarious, heartbreaking and heart-warming story about an asylum-dodging manic depressive who eventually finds a silver lining.
Pat (Cooper) radically alters his lifestyle, even promises to manage his anger without medication, in the quixotic hope of reuniting with his cheating wife. But then he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow and self-confessed loose woman who challenges Pat's assumptions about her, leading to an unbreakable friendship. Lawrence's headstrong performance I hope ensures her career will not be mired by the monstrosity that is the 'Hunger Games' series.
Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver are noteworthy as Pat's parents, especially De Niro who gives a rare performance requiring emotional depth and comedic flair. With a film this impressive, it isn't necessary to mention that Danny Elfman composed the score (but he did).
However derivative O. Russell's script (based on a novel by Matthew Quick) becomes, I cannot condemn any of it. It is transcended by acting that is so honest, you find yourself focusing not on the clichés but on cheering for Pat. The poignancy in his quest to win back his wife frankly had me almost blubbering.
If ever there was a film to illustrate Joni Mitchell's famous line about not knowing what you have until it's gone, this was it.