Din Not Expect This

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2013)

He goes from a terrible hangover twice, to being a freak out of jail, to a bipolar man fighting for the love of his wife, way to go Bradley Cooper. Silver Linings Playbook is an Oscar nominated film for best picture for many things. Bradley Cooper for best actor, Robert DeNiro for best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best director, Jennifer Lawrence won for best Actress, and it was also nominated for best picture. This film deserved most of its nominations, but Jennifer Lawrence definitely deserved her Oscar win. Silver Linings Playbook was not something I expected to be good, good thing I was wrong.
I didn't think Bradley Cooper could do this well in a lead role. His performance blew me away. His mood swings, his charisma, and his charm gave him an Oscar nomination. He went from a drinking problem to a mood disorder. He caught his wife cheating on him and he lost it. With a combination of that and his wedding song playing at the time, he beat him within an inch of his life. He was then rehabilitated in a medical facility for mood disorders and the movie kicks off with his release. In the very opening scene with his mother we see the comedic charm he brings to the movie. He helps his friend escape and they play it off like he was released as well and just needed a ride. This is a gag they play throughout the movie and the character himself is a nice touch to the movie. From the first scene to the last Cooper gives it his all. My favorite scene is when it is late at night and he is reading A Farewell to Arms and he is angered by the ending. He goes ballistic and throws the book through the window, waking up the whole neighborhood. We see him go from happy to angry to sad to sorry and it was a really well acted scene. He goes nuts, his father panics, the mother cries, and it ends with a touching moment. We also see conflict between him and his father. Robert DeNiro plays the father who has obsessions with football rituals. He is much like his son and DeNiro did do a really good job in the role but I don't think he deserved an Oscar nomination. I expected a little more from his character and I was a little disappointed. He likes to have his son there watching the game, he has three remotes a certain was, all because he believes it will help the Eagles win the game. It is little moments like these that drive the movie forward and lead to the rest of the film. Then we meet Tiffany. Jennifer Lawrence plays Tiffany and right when you see her on screen everybody knows that the story will instantly turn to the relationship between Pat and Tiffany. It did, it was a little cheesy, but it worked. Cooper and Lawrence had this natural chemistry and you could tell they liked being together and acting together. They have similar problems and similar personalities and they bounce off each other in the most entertaining way possible. At first they don't like each other. Another scene was when they are in the diner and they are both taking shots at each other and Tiffany goes nuts. It is scenes like that which got her the Oscar nomination, and she well deserved the win. Overall, Silver Linings Playbook really had it all, humor, romance, touching moments, and scenes I could watch again and again. I didn't expect to like this movie as much as I did, and that is never a bad thing. With strong acting led by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, funny humor, a strong supporting cast, and a fantastic script Silver Linings was one of the best films of 2012 and gets the WillyT Seal of Approval. It is a movie you don't judge by the cover and really need to get into. If you have a girlfriend or boyfriend, watch it with them because it is a good movie for couples. Watch it again and again and appreciate how Bradley Cooper made this transition from comedy to a film that was mainly drama. Look past the cheesy moments and the easily predictable ending and just embrace the magic of film.