Hey, let's be positive

Rating: 9/10 (25 January 2013)

It's hard to make a good romantic comedy. There are dozens of them every year and they (almost) all recycle the same formula: guy meets girl, they fall in love but won't admit it, encounter some obstacles, and overcome them all to live happily ever after. There's often a little drama too, added to make for some serious moments, but rarely it bares any real weight. Seeing the trailer it was obvious to me that the same is the case with director David O. Russell's new film "Silver Linings Playbook" so I wondered how can it be that the film was nominated for an Oscar in all important categories, counting the nominations to eight. I've recently watched it and stopped wondering. Sure, it has the same formula, but Russell (who also wrote the screenplay) and his cast make all the difference in the world.
It's a story of Pat, a history teacher who found his wife with another man and went a little crazy. They put him in a mental institution and diagnosed him with a bipolar disorder but eight months later his mother takes him back home. He meets Tiffany, a good-looking young widow with similar problems to his, but in spite of his impulses decides to only make friends with her as the means to get his wife back. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are simply fantastic in the roles of Tiffany and Pat. After a great turn in the "Winter's Bone" a couple of years ago, Lawrence here does completely different but equally great work showing her admirable range, and Cooper finally proves he is a serious actor after a series of comedic works of dubious quality. No less appealing are those in supporting roles. Robert De Niro (his best role in a long time) and Jacki Weaver as Pat's parents and a special treat, as Pat's friend from mental institution, Chris Tucker in his first non-Carter role in 15 years. All of them did an excellent job and it's no surprise that the film is an Oscar contender in all four acting categories.
Of course, the actors needed a good material to work with as well as a guiding hand and that's were Russell strongly delivered. I didn't read the novel by Matthew Quick which the film was based on so I don't know how much of the credit goes to him but the script is great. It is rare enough seeing most of the characters in the film having some kind of mental disorder, but to see them presented so emphatically, keeping in sight that they are human beings just like the rest, but also realistically, with all their good and bad sides, was almost impossible until now. The reason for that approach is probably in the fact that Russell's son has bipolar disorder as well as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) so he has understanding both of and for the mental disorders. His familiarity with the subject can also be felt by how he handles family relations within the film. The relations between Pat, his father and his mother are at the same time simple and complicated due to the problems they have, and they are portrayed in a way so natural and sincere you can easily imagine something like that happening just around the corner.
That still leaves the clichéd love story, but in a much better position than initially. Although we've seen it a thousand times and know how it ends, it keeps us invested and make us feel the emotions of its characters. That's because, due to sincere performances by Lawrence and Cooper, it doesn't feel contrived, and the ending we've gotten used to this time feels truly deserved.
"Silver Linings Playbook" also has one more universal theme. Through showing us how those with some kind of disability deserve to be happy, it actually shows us that we all deserve it. And if we try real hard to be our best selves we have a chance at it. It's optimistic attitude is reinvigorating just as is Russell's take on the genre. After initially being surprised by its Oscar nominations, now I'll be surprised if it doesn't make at least some of them into an award. It's one of the best films of the year and I look forward to watching it again. Oh, and did I mention that Chris Tucker is in it?
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