Great movie

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2013)

This is a great movie. Although my husband's take away was that it is a chick flick, it is really a movie about mental illness. Yes, the ending is chick flicky and contrived but Bradley Cooper plays an awesome Pat Solitano, a man in his own head with his own demons to work through. I guess I identified with this movie because I have a "Pat Solitano" in my family and he's married to my sister. Not that she's cheating, but the irrational rages, yelling, repeatedly saying "Can i tell you something?", the OCD, the craziness when his mind gets set on a task (like finding a wedding video) . He won't take any meds either. As portrayed in the movie, it stems from the family. Examine the Robert DiNero character and his marriage relationship with his wife, mostly the way the wife manages the marriage to keep her husband and his own illness at bay. She's on edge, always smiling, everything is OK, when it's anything but. Bradley Cooper played this part spot on and I'm sure he did much research before filming. It is very difficult to play someone with a non-recognized mental illness effectively and convincingly and so emotionally grabbing without over acting it. He deserves recognition for this roll. I appreciated the way the Tiffany character, played beautifully by Jennifer Lawrence, kept him grounded by bringing his illness right smack into his face, all while going through her own grief and time of uncertain despair. If the ending was handled differently I would've given this movie a 10. But really an important film to see and maybe even take "that" family member or friend with you so a conversation can be started.