The best movie about mental illness I've ever seen! Jennifer Lawrence has never been hotter!

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2013)

'SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK': Five Stars (Out of Five)
This critical darling and Oscar hopeful just picked up eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and nominations in all four acting categories (which is the first time this feat has been accomplished since 1981's 'RED')! Being a huge fan of Jennifer Lawrence (she's my favorite actress and top celebrity crush), as well as the writer/director David O. Russell, I had been very eager to see this film since it went into limited release in mid-November (and even before that after watching the amazing trailers) but it still hasn't come to any cities near me and I had to drive 40 miles to the closest one playing it just to finally see it. I know the studio has been waiting to fully release it so it could build bigger business off of word of mouth and Oscar nominations but the buzz is already here! So I finally saw it in Salem, OR and it was totally worth it. It lived up to my expectations in every way and is my favorite film of 2012!
In the film Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper plays a former teacher, named Pat Solitano, who suffered a mental breakdown after catching his wife Nikki (Brea Bee) cheating on him with a fellow teacher. He spent eight months in a mental institution as part of a plea bargain for beating the man nearly to death. While there he learned that he's bipolar and has been suffering from the disease all of his life. His father, Pat Sr. (Oscar nominee Robert De. Niro), has suffered from violent mental breakdowns and OCD his whole life as well, he's also a sports nut who believes in superstitions that will help his team, The Eagles, win their games. Pat's mom, Dolores (Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver), takes Pat out of the institution when his committed time is done and brings him home to live with her and his father. Pat learns that Nikki left him, sold their house and filed a restraining order against him (out of physical fear) but he's so obsessed with getting her back that he begins stalking her (which is played off as kind of harmless in the film due to Cooper's good looks I think; looks prejudice once again). Then he meets a girl named Tiffany (Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, who's never been hotter or more stunning) who's just as down on her luck (her husband recently died) and is almost as crazy as he is. She, like Pat, just lost her job as well due to a recent sex obsession and the fact that she slept with all her co-workers. The two immediately take a liking to each other but Pat fears what this may mean to him and his love for Nikki. Tiffany has been wanting to compete in a dance competition and needs a partner so they both use each other (in a way) as Tiffany agrees to get a message to Nikki for Pat. Things only get more complicated from there. Chris Tucker also co-stars as Pat's buddy from the psychiatric ward. It's his first film appearance since 2007's 'RUSH HOUR 3' and his first non 'RUSH HOUR' film since 1997's 'JACKIE BROWN' (which also co-starred Robert De Niro)! His part is minimal but funny.
The movie is a brilliant character study and the best movie about mental illness I've ever seen! I've had multiple family members suffer from depression and I've experienced it a little myself, as well as other mental issues, so the film was really relatable to me. I also love movies about outsiders and unique individuals who are brave enough to be themselves. Both Pat and Tiffany are brutally honest and not afraid to say what they really feel and like the Pat character says in the movie 'maybe they see things that other people don't'. I was just blown away by the characters and totally involved in what happened to them. All of the performances were outstanding; of course my favorite being Jennifer Lawrence but deservingly so. She's totally beautiful and sexy and maybe too much of a guy's ideal woman in this movie but she's also very confident and self dependent (like almost every character she plays). Her character also has the perfect touch of vulnerability, insecurity and mental instability that really make you feel for her as well. A lot of the biggest A list actresses in Hollywood wanted this role (most notably Angelina Jolie) but Lawrence nabbed it. Partially because she's so popular right now, probably the biggest star in Hollywood (like Julia Roberts in her prime after 'PRETTY WOMAN', and the same age, but about five times as talented) but also because she was the only actress that could play this part that well. Jacki Weaver is amazing too; she says very little but at the same time says so much with just her emotions and facial expressions. You can't not love a mom like the one she plays in this movie. Robet De Niro gives one of his best performances in years and is so complex and interesting that I would have loved to have seen a movie just about his character alone. Bradley Cooper gives by far the best performance of his career (as well as one of the best performances of the year) and is the perfect match for Jennifer Lawrence. Despite their more than fifteen years age difference the two have beautiful chemistry together and that's the driving force behind the whole movie. Of course the film would be nothing without David O. Russell's amazing directing and brilliant script. The man is a genius filmmaker and the movie deserves all the award recognition it's been getting. I'm so passionate about film and the characters depicted in them that when one really moves me it's almost like a religious experience. This is one of those films!
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