Bradley Cooper's worthy of an Oscar?

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2012)

﻿When I hear of Bradley Cooper, I always picture a smart-ass, sarcastic and kind of an asshole yet very likable guy who sweats self-confidence from every pore of his body. That's not the case with his character Pat in Silver Linings Playbook.
SPOILER ALERT Pat has been released from a mental institution to the care of his parents with the condition that they pay close attention to their bipolar son and avoid violating a restraining order that his wife has against him.
From the few moments that we see Pat we know we're in for a wild ride. He's very visibly stable and incapable of living on his own, let alone be released to his parents' care. His father is played by no other than Robert DeNiro who has issues of his own and feels guilty that he didn't spend enough time with his son to notice that there was something wrong with him.
As dysfunctional as this movie may sound, Silver Linings has a comedic side to this whole mess thanks to the witty and quick dialogue that engulfs the audience head first into Pat's chaotic and fragile world, when something can (and will) happen at any given moment. Pat's a ticking time bomb, just not sure when is it set to go off.
Pat meets Tiffany (The Hunger Games's Jennifer Lawrence), a very attractive young girl who may be as messed up as Pat himself. The first words they exchange are so funny and straight to the point that it's funny to watch them read each other out,their words are like aimless bullets, they just can't contain their curiosity about each other. Their chemistry is undeniable and it's very obvious they're attracted to each other from the first seconds of their encounter, although in their condition it may be combustive and very dangerous ground. Yet she's probably the one person that can truly understand Pat and his condition.
And so an odd relationship builds, a relationship that may either benefit or destroy them both and that's the beauty of Silver Linings Playbook. On one side you root for their relationship to develop yet Pat's obsession with his wife gets in the way and their timing is totally not in their favor. To top it off, Tiffany has recently become a widow and her mental condition is very fragile and volatile as well. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany has successfully made her character very believable.
Silver Linings has created a lot of Oscar buzz for both stars as well as supporting actor for DeNiro and its wonderful screenplay, which reminds me how good The Descendants' script was at last year's Oscars. Bradley Cooper was very believable and surprisingly serious in this role yet I can't quite picture him beating Daniel Day-Lewis in the biopic Lincoln. You be the judge.