Unorthodox Romantic Comedy

Rating: 8/10 (10 March 2013)

Why you shouldn't see it:
I've never been to Philadelphia. I hope to change that someday, because it is a city full of history, and I personally have a healthy appreciation for history and the way in which it shapes the world in which we live and the people who we become.
Before I confuse you, allow me to point out that Silver Linings Playbook is not a movie about history. But it is a movie set in Philadelphia. And while I've never been there, I have developed a healthy hatred for it. You may say that hatred is baseless, but I say you've never met someone from Philly. Or you're from Philly and lack proper perspective. Admittedly, nearly all of my interaction with Philadelphia and its residents has, to this point in my life, revolved around sports. But Philadelphia athletes do things like electrocute dogs (I will kindly ignore you as you point out he was an Atlanta athlete while he was electrocuting dogs, because we had the benefit of ignorance), and Philadelphia fans are widely acknowledged to be the worst in sports (unless you're from Philly then they're awesome).
You may be wondering why I should be suggesting that you not see a movie because it is set in a city you may or may not hate based almost solely on its relationship with sports. My response would be that Philly is a sports city, and it is defined in major part by its relationship with its sports. Accordingly, this movie, through its characterizations, very much relates to Philadelphia's relationships with its sports. So if you are like me and have a healthy distaste for Philadelphia, its people, or its sports, you may want to avoid watching this.
Why you should see it:
I said that Silver Linings isn't a movie about history, and that's true. Nor is it explicitly about Philadelphia. But it is a story about people who are the product of Philadelphia's history, and because of that, it couldn't be set anywhere else. Other films have settings that are merely the time and place in which the plot unfolds, but this is a plot that couldn't exist outside of its setting. The result is a story that is unique and compelling to me and yet all too familiar to many Philadelphians.
Bradley Cooper has seemingly made a career of playing assholes in his movies, and that actually hasn't changed here. Maybe that's because he's an asshole in real life (you'll never guess the city from which he hails Philadelphia!). Anyway, in this movie it's almost as if his asshole personality is put back in its natural environment, and the result is a jerk you can pull for. I don't necessarily think he had to stretch his acting abilities all that far to appear in this, but he still does a fantastic job of portraying a man who is wholly unlike me but still completely relatable.
You can still get in on the ground floor of Jennifer Lawrence appreciation, since she's only been around for two years. But in those two years, she has two deserved best actress nominations (one of them here) and two roles in fan-pleasing box office genre movies. If she isn't on the fast track to becoming one of Hollywood's (much needed) leading ladies, I just don't know what to say. In Silver Linings, she plays a sort of mirror to Bradley's character, and likewise nails the jerk-for-whom-you-wish-good-things part (and yet she's from Kentucky go figure).
Aside from the two main characters, there are still a few other noteworthy members of the cast. It appears as though this was an opportunity jumped on by Robert DeNiro to get back to quality acting, and I have to say that I've never before been genuinely entertained by Chris Tucker until now. I won't say that they offer any sort of counterbalance or opposition to the off-kilter nature of Cooper or Lawrence, because they don't. Everyone in this film is off his or her rocker at least a little bit, and that's the point.
In short:
I spent the entirety of Silver Linings torn between wanting to know what happens next and still not wanting to see what happens next. The unorthodoxy of the two leads draws me in in a way that I haven't experienced in a while, and I appreciate the opportunity to care about such flawed individuals. I don't believe Cooper had to reach to play his character, but that doesn't diminish his portrayal at all, and Lawrence keeps step with him the entire time. In the end, I think nothing more than spite for the city of Philly made me leave the rating for this one at an 8 out of 10 instead of more, but I still recommend it for anyone who can enjoy a completely unusual romantic comedy. At least I think that's what it is... I don't know what other category it would fit into.
Exceptions to the recommendation: anyone with a jealous wife or girlfriend who might make assumptions about why you're watching Jennifer Lawrence in this movie; anyone with a jealous husband or boyfriend who might make assumptions about why you're watching Bradley Cooper in this movie; if you think dancing scenes are stupid and contrived when added into romantic comedies; people who would like to go on thinking that they're the ones with problems; anyone who can't handle awkwardness fueled by inappropriate comments; if you really do have a seething hatred for the City of Brotherly Love.