'Crazies' bond as 'Dancing With The Stars' meets 'One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest'

Rating: 5/10 (20 January 2013)

I had some trepidations about 'Silver Linings Playbook' because I heard it was another one of those quirky indies, which I usually don't care for. Usually in films that have quirky characters like 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower", there's a quirky group of misfits who end triumphing over a bunch of straw men reactionaries (school bullies often end up in these straw men roles, for example). Fortunately, director David O. Russell's quirky misfits in 'Silver Linings Playbook', Pat Solitano, a bi-polar former substitute teacher and Tiffany Maxwell, an emotionally disturbed widow, are only pitted against one another; thus this particular quirky indie, isn't burdened with an us vs. them subtext.
'Silver Linings', however, is not without its problems. It's a film about a burgeoning romance between two emotionally disturbed people. Russell tries to find humor in people who are emotionally unstable. Anyone who's known people who have been diagnosed as 'bipolar', will tell you it's no laughing matter. But Russell wants us to laugh at Pat during the first act of 'Silver Linings. After he's released from a mental health facility in Baltimore as a result of an eight month court ordered commitment, Pat still remains obsessed with his ex-wife, Nikki, and throws tantrums in front of his parents because he doesn't like the 'unhappy ending' to a Hemingway novel and on another occasion, is unable to find an old wedding video.
In addition to the unpleasant tantrums, a flashback reveals why Pat was sent to a mental health facility in the first place--he caught a teacher from their mutual school, in the shower with his wife, and then proceeded to pummel him senseless. His court-ordered therapist, Dr. Patel (wonderfully played by a prominent Indian actor, Anupam Kher), manages to be a settling influence on Pat, who recognizes that he needs to look at the positive aspects in life (hence the title, 'silver linings playbook').
'Silver Linings' invariably picks up in the second act, when Pat meets Tiffany Maxwell, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence, with her manic energy, proves she has comic chops--a nice contrast to her more serious role in 'Winter Bones' (let's forget about her throw away part in 'Hunger Games). The comic banter between the two 'crazies', is the high point of the film and is probably why it's garnered so many positive reviews. There's a highly amusing scene where Pat and Tiffany compare the ill effects of various psychotropic medications they've both taken in the past. They also bump into one another in the neighborhood while taking their daily runs--both feel their personal space is being invaded and they end up trading blunt insults with one another.
In the best scene in the film, when Pat goes on a date with Tiffany at a diner, Pat goes too far and implies that Tiffany's illness is far worse than his. Tiffany storms out of the diner, knocking over all the plates on the table, and then out on the street accuses him of being arrogant and putting her down, in a moment where she's revealed her vulnerable side to him. But Tiffany also goes too far, falsely accusing Pat of 'harassment' in front of a crowd of people, who believe he's about to assault her. The unlikely appearance of the police officer who has been assigned to monitor Pat, prevents the crowd from assaulting him.
The rest of 'Silver Linings' is pure 'Hollywood'. Tiffany agrees to give Nikki, Pat's letter, in exchange for him helping her in the dance competition. Wouldn't you know it, but suddenly Pat is becoming much more serious and responsible as he practices with Tiffany for the competition. More unlikely goings on: Pat's father makes a parley bet with his friend that if his beloved Eagles beats the Dallas Cowboys in an upcoming football game and Pat and Tiffany score at least a 5 out of 10 in the dance competition, he'll win enough money to open a restaurant.
The outcome of the bet, of course, is a fait acompli, and sure enough, 'crazy' Pat ends up crazy only in the sense that he falls in love with Tiffany, and decides that Nikki is a thing of the past.
You've really got to suspend your disbelief that bipolar people such as Pat can so easily overcome their problems, merely through the love of a good woman. In the end, however, 'Silver Linings' strives to be simple, good, clean fun, with a Hollywood ending to boot. But I can't help but feel that the initial 'edginess' of the principals is lost, when they finally do shack up. Thus whatever comic energy is extant during the second act, pretty much dissipates by the end of the third. If you like the trade-off, you won't have any problems with the denouement. For me, the air in the 'Silver Linings' tire, ended up being sucked out faster than you can say, "failed eccentric romantic dramedy."