Somewhat controversial but a worthy Oscar contender.

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2013)

I've never been a fan of Bradley Cooper. Sure, I've enjoyed Hangover or Wedding Crashers but he was never the main character driving the movie.
Now I can say that I am a fan. His performance was touching, I felt sympathy towards his character and he made me go through Pat's mental illness with him. Cooper knew when to be serious or add the perfect punchline and make the entire theater laugh. It actually looked as though Cooper had the bipolar disorder himself, not just his character. If he sticks with dramatic roles and movies that challenge his acting abilities, I think Cooper can be up there with Robert De Niro. (Maybe) Jennifer Lawrence was also a nice surprise in this movie. After The Hunger Games, I didn't expect much out of her. Lawrence surprised me with her performance of a girl who blames herself for her husband's death and deals with it by having sex. The chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence felt real, I could see her heartbreak when Pat constantly talks about his ex-wife and how out of control she would get when she felt attacked or hurt. Watching the movie, I didn't see Jennifer Lawrence, instead I saw Tiffany, a girl who lost her husband and was figuring out her own ways of dealing with it.
Chris Tucker. I've loved Tucker since I first saw him in The Fifth Element. Funny movies aside, he's actually a decent actor. Tucker stole every scene he was in. While he was more of a comedic relief for the movie, you could see the seriousness of the mental illness that his character was going through.
Great supporting cast with De Niro, Weaver, Stiles and many more. I loved each character and they were each thrown into the movie where I didn't feel overwhelmed.
One of the best movies to come out in 2012, without a doubt.
Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a serious laugh, and some amazing performances. If not, just see it for the dance scene at the end of the movie. If that can't make you laugh then you're helpless.