Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's most impressive roles yet.

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2020)

Silver Linings Playbook covers the story of Pat Solitano's (Bradley Cooper) road to recovery after an incident that led him to do 8 months in a mental institute. After losing his job, his wife and his reputation he struggles to contain his bipolar mood swings. Constantly obsessing over the idea of winning his ex-wife back. This is until he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). They form a very unusual relationship as Tiffany is struggling with issues of her own. Unlike most romantic comedies, this follows two people who have had their lives flipped upside down due to certain mental issues. They begin to work together and help each other without realizing how much they are helping each other until the end.
The theme constantly shown throughout the movie is self acceptance. Pat constantly searches for acceptance from his father (Robert De Niro), his mother (Jacki Weaver) and his ex-wife. Throughout the movie, Tiffany teaches Pat to accept himself and love himself for who he is. Pat deals with many setbacks as he is easily triggered due to his bipolar disorder. Along the way is Tiffany helping him realize that the past is the past and he needs to accept himself for who he is.
Throughout the film, the camera angles help the audience feel like they are experiencing the mood swings Pat has. Each one of his mood swings is followed by the camera closing in on Pat's face making him the only focus point for the camera. The music is a major part of the film as well. Pat's wedding song is a trigger for him. Whenever he hears the song he starts to break down. In some instances that are stressful for him, he even hears the song when it is not playing. Again, it is Tiffany that helps him realize the song is just in his head and that it is just a song.
This film dives into just a few of the struggles people with mental health issues deal with on a day to day basis. Though it teaches that everyone has their own issues and that self acceptance is the best way to live a happy life. Overall, Silver Linings Playbook is a great movie with outstanding acting from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. They both take on roles that are much different from their usual movie roles. For couples who struggle to find a movie that has some romance, yet is not too cliche, this is the movie for you.