Therapy?

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2013)

An amazing film, because of the high quality of the acting amidst the wavering quality of the screenplay. Also amazing that the subject matter doesn't normally appeal to me but I was easily hooked in for what turned out to be an absorbing 2 hours. There's not really any sex or violence but plenty of frank interchanges between the cast, usually loud and frantic; aggro abounds in this smart modern romantic comedy.
Volatile young man gets released from mental hospital back into community to recover still holding a candle for his cheating wife, finds plenty of aggro and a volatile young slut with a dead husband. And a pretty interesting relationship follows and develops. The acting by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence was marvellous, they're completely believable in their leading roles sparking off one another. They're so natural in all the important and trivial things you can even forget you're only watching a fiction film. Even old Noodles DeNiro himself can't spoil it, a great cast playing with a great script. That is, until the lead up to the climax when sadly notes of contrivance and conventionality are introduced almost on a coarser and cornier Dirty Dancing level; but then comes the glorious upbeat happy ending which is even referenced twice for double Positivity. And the production values were impeccable with deft camera-work at all times.
All's well that ends well. Well, what's wrong with that and why can't it happen more often nowadays?