Love and Dance Solves Mental Illness?

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2014)

It happens everyday: two amazingly good-looking people with mental instabilities come together and solve each other's issues in a way only true love and dance can. Okay, no, but that's what happens here and it is completely enjoyable. Actually the nutjobs are the most normal people in the movie. Jennifer Lawrence deservedly won the Oscar, and Bradley Cooper did a phenomenal job too. I fortunately don't deal with mental illness (regardless of what my friends think), but the writers made it easily understandable within the context of the story, and of course the acting immersed you into the struggles. Anything that might come across as a crazy reaction or situation in any other movie makes sense here, and not in a dismissive way like "anything can happen because they're crazy". It's a family drama with heart, some laughs thrown in and a touch of romance, all in a believable setting (especially if you believe pretty people can be as messed up as anyone else). 8/10