Two films in one

Rating: 6/10 (18 March 2013)

I found there to be two films within this film. One worked better than the other.
The first half of the film worked better for me. There was a veritable tension as we decide if Bradley Cooper's character is still crazy or not. The film didn't rely on silly plot triggers in this half of the film.
The second half fell into too many pitfalls. I cannot see for the life of me see why there had to be so many secondary characters. Not a single one of them worked and the gags seemed tired. I've seen the Indian guy stereotype cutting loose at least five times in other films. What did the black character bring to the film? The brother subplot underdeveloped and I'm forgetting even more secondary characters..This film did not need to explore to it's depths these characters and whatever tension that was established in the beginning quickly fizzled away as we followed pointless subplots created from space ie; the dance competition and betting.
The film was also too long and a bit of cutting/editing and winding up some scenes quicker than they were would have added a greater vigor to the film. However, I enjoyed myself throughout the film and did not want it to end.
The absolute shining light is clearly Bradley Cooper, every other character cannot hold a candle to him. His female counterpart was particularly grating and painful to watch. Hats off to Bradley as he carried this film on his shoulders and it's a performance hauntingly difficult to forget.