Urban neurotics

Rating: 6/10 (13 June 2014)

Cooper is almost believable as some kind of crazy-eyed (though functional) neurotic, with an unpredictable demeanour whose quest to win back his estranged wife detours in an unexpected direction when he seeks to exploit her recently widowed sister to 'broker' the reconciliation. As the two spend more time in each other's company, a mutual attraction blossoms and while it's a predictable outcome, it's not without moments of endearment.
The concept is fine and some of the whacky characterisations are stand- outs (Chris Tucker in particular), but I found the dialogue at times seemed too sophisticated, or perhaps self-indulgent, like a poor-man's Woody Allen movie where everyone exhibited a varying degree of neuroticism and always had something prophetic to announce with just the right sense of timing. Jennifer Lawrence is clearly a capable actress, confident and sultry, but at times I felt she in particular suffered most from the self-aware dialogue and it made her character uneven as a result.
There are some quirky characterisations in both Tucker and Wigham's roles, and while DeNiro's presence elevates the prestige of an otherwise small-scale movie as a middle-class Jewish, sport-loving patriarch, I still felt the material was well beneath his capabilities – more subtlety on the page was desperately needed at times. Weaver's part as the seemingly docile, traditional-domesticated wife I just couldn't grasp – the erratic accent and a role so minor I was struggling to comprehend why all the hyperventilating concerning her portrayal; how she'd scored an Oscar nomination for such an innocuous performance eludes me.
Despite my criticisms, it's still very watchable and not without genuine interest, just not what I would label a great film worthy of the plaudits it garnered on its premiere; one of those films where some of the individual components display more promise than the overall result actually achieves. In short, it's a good movie but not a great movie.