A raw, honest and funny comedic drama about two broken people who help fix each other.

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2013)

If you watch a game with a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan, you may think they're bipolar. One minute they're on cloud nine. One bad play later -- they're in the depths of despair. Most Philadelphians who are crazy about sports aren't really crazy. But Silver Linings Playbook is about one Philly sports fan who does in fact happen to have a serious personality disorder.
This isn't a movie about sports, though. Sports are merely the motif for a raw, honest and funny comedic drama about two broken people who help fix each other.
The movie set in 2008. We know this because of several real-life sporting events referenced throughout the movie event that myself -- and many other Philly sports fans -- remember well. (I loved that there's an entire scene built around a discussion of DeSean Jackson's infamous goal line blooper.) Bradley Cooper, himself a native of the Philadelphia suburbs, plays Pat Solitano, a substitute teacher who returns to live with his parents after spending eight months in a mental hospital. He's desperate to reconcile with his wife, who has gotten a restraining order against him. Things get complicated when he meets a beautiful-but-troubled young widow named Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Both have seen their lives unravel -- one because of a mental illness, one because of a tragedy. The movie is about getting closure, about letting go, and about finding that silver lining.
Cooper gets to show more range and paint with a broader pallet than his usual leading man roles have allowed, and he takes full advantage of the opportunity. Robert DeNiro plays Pat's father and he gives the kind of terrific, moving performance you expect that from an actor of his legendary status. Lawrence is also quite good. The true revelation, however, is comedian Chris Tucker who has a small role as one of Pat's fellow patients. He gives a subtle performance that seems far removed from the brash persona he became known for in the Rush Hour movies.
The rest of the cast and crew do their jobs well. Danny Elfman's jazzy score is one of his best, and a great soundtrack that features everyone from Led Zeppelin to Stevie Wonder supplements it.
Director David O. Russell (who adapted Matthew Quick's novel) specializes in movies about troubled young men and their families. In the Solitano family, life is centered on sports. Russell understands what many who don't appreciate sports often fail to grasp. Loving sports is not just about the love of the game – it's about being part of a community, it's the way fathers and sons bond with each other and how total strangers find common ground. When Pat speaks of his fondness for Sundays spent watching football, he talks as much about the game day food his mother's cooks as he does about the game itself.
Pat's personal motto is "Excelsior," which is Latin for "ever upward." He's an optimist who believes he can improve himself and better days are ahead. In other words -- as every Philadelphia sports fan knows -- there's always next year.