Read the Playbook. Don't Trust it.

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2013)

Welcome to the feel-good movie of the year. Probably.
Within its own confines, Silver Linings Playbook is a brilliant film. We can't criticize this movie, because it has already defended itself quite cleverly.
At the beginning of the film, we saw Pat (Bradley Cooper) throwing a Hemingway book out of the window at 3 am in the morning. Then he rushed down to his parents room and let out a rant about Hemingway and all the god-damned sadness in his novel. As he thinks, there is already too many miserable things in the world, so why can't Hemingway write a good ending to such a story? So now Silver Linings Playbook offers us a perfect ending to a good ending. The outstanding thing about this film that elevates it from many other mediocre romantic comedies is simply that, it works, much thanks to the performance of the entire cast. As far as acting goes, this is a much believable, and therefore much lovable, story.
The film progresses itself very well, though behind it we can still clearly see all the genre conventions pushing. There isn't too much new to this film. It simply did everything well.
All is left is a choice: would you believe it? Do you buy the story, even though you are more than well aware of it being no more than another delicately produced Hollywood dream? Would you let yourself to be fascinated for two hours, and then realize the fragility of this illusion? Many people do. Even most of the critics do. I didn't, but I hope you do. Knowing it's an artificial wonder, you might still be touched and moved; your heart might follow Pat's and Tiffany's every move, sincerely wishing that everything - everything, no matter how trivial - goes well for them. As characters they possess all the natural complexities and simplicities of people. They look real, genuine and they are adorable - not as characters, but as people.
There is Pat's rant on the stage, and David O. Russell's argument off it. A film version of the argument could very well be "Why make Requiem for a Dream, when there is already so much despair? Why look at 'the horror, the horror, the horror', when there is already too much?" Why not, simply, make a film like this? I didn't believe, because I couldn't. I think Russell's argument is flawed. It's a choice, between carefreely believing a wonderfully-crafted illusion for two hours and then watch it being broken and swept away by the torrents of life, and heavy-heartedly face cruel reality for two hours and then realize the precious happiness within our little lives.