Life Is a Lot More Complicated/A Psychiatrist's Buffet

Rating: 7/10 (3 July 2013)

I have to agree that Jennifer Lawrence is darn good in this. Bradley Cooper overacts with the best of them. But as I watched it unfold, I just couldn't buy into it. Of course, this is ultimately a comedy, though it is a dark comedy. Cooper is completely out of control when he is off his meds. This is pretty well presented at the beginning as he rants about getting back together with his wife (after having nearly beaten her lover to death). His strained relation with his father, a bookie/Philadelphia Eagles Fan/and a raving OCDer, is in the forefront. The dad, played by Robert DiNiro is about as off his trolley as Cooper. The mom wants everything to be nice, and is constantly caught in the middle of these "crazy" people. DeNiro has been banned from the Eagles' stadium because of rowdy behavior in the past and believes his not being present is the reason for their lack of success. Anyway, Cooper hooks up with Jennifer Lawrence who is newly widowed. She is also a nut case. She becomes his mother confessor and his link to getting back together with his wife. She is learning to dance and insists on his helping her with this in exchange for her participation in getting messages to his ex (there is a restraining order that keeps him from her as well as the high school where she teaches). Lost in all this is the seriousness of bipolar disorder. All the people in the movie are in serious trouble, and when the chips are down, the writer and director back off and turn it into a bit of a silly romantic comedy. Cooper is unrecognizable in the second half. Where did all the angst and despair go? These people don't have epiphanies. They are in constant battle with their disease. While it captivated me on one level, I felt it sold out and became less that it could have been.