Excelsior!

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2015)

It's without a doubt the best movie of the year. Everything about it is just so spot on. I hope it cleans house at the Oscars because it definitely deserves it. I just related to this in a BIG way. I've been pretty much exactly where Bradley Cooper's character was and I still deal with it on a daily basis. Even certain things that he did during scenes were things that I've done before. Just crazy.
The cast is absolutely fantastic. Cooper is so great. I've always liked him, but this is just so completely different from anything he's done and he sells it all perfectly. Lawrence is a revelation. I would say its definitely her most mature performance to date and arguably her best. DeNiro finally with a performance that actually means something. He's great as well and really proves why he was such a good actor in the first place and thankfully shows us what we've all been missing these last few years. Chris Tucker and Jackie Weaver are also there, but neither one is really given much to do in order to make a significant impact.
This so seamlessly blends the comedy and drama together that its kind of surprising. For a movie to make you laugh one second then put you through that emotional wringer the next is just great and its really an amazing accomplishment. Yes this movie does have a lot of the usual trappings that most romantic comedies have, but what sets this one apart is its characters and writing and commitment to seeing these characters through to end. This isn't your traditional McConaughey/Hudson bubble gum Rom-com where nothing really matters and we couldn't really care less what happens to these people...this is something different and something substantial and their problems are real and what they go through actually matters. These are people we actually care about.
So we don't mind if the outcome is a little predictable because the actors have created such rich characters that we like and who we wanna see happy and who we wanna see overcome their troubles. Life is full of struggles and it always will be. Wives cheat, husbands die, and football teams lose, but as long we have people we love and people who love us there to keep us going then we'll be okay. Time heels all wounds and we're all just looking for that silver lining.