Deserves all the praise in the world

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2013)

Rarely have I felt this good after watching a film. Silver Linings Playbook is a meticulously crafted piece of cinema that celebrates life, love and trying to find your place in the world, with all the struggles and imperfections that come along the way. The narrative is dead simple: Pat (Bradley Cooper) is trying to get his life back on track after he has been in a mental institution for 8 months. He has been sent there after he caught his wife cheating on him and assaulted the man she was sleeping with. Pat has finally returned home and has set his sight on becoming a better person and winning his ex back. All goes according to his plan, but then Tiffany comes into his life, a troubled young girl who has issues of her own. Pat soon discovers that Tiffany play an important role in his quest to find his love again.
What makes this movie so special is its cast. Everyone is phenomenal, no exceptions. Jennifer Lawrence gives the performance of a lifetime in the role of Tiffany. I was already impressed with her acting after seeing Winter's Bone in 2010, but her acting in Silver Linings Playbook solidifies her as the promise of a new generation. It has been a while since I have been this impressed by an actress in a leading role. She inhabits the character of Tiffany and makes it her own. She is a delight to look at, but her talents as an actress even outdo physical appearance. Tiffany is brutally honest, outspoken and rarely takes no for an answer. She struggles with the fact that she's bipolar and she recognises her shortcomings in Pat, who is dealing with the same mental disability. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany is what makes this movie so great. They are not easy to identify with, but I couldn't help rooting for them from the very beginning.
Bradley Cooper is equally amazing. I must admit that I wasn't fully aware of his acting potential before this film. I always liked him, but now he's an actor that I will watch a film for. He shines in this role. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany takes center stage, but the stellar performances by Jacki Weaver and -especially- Robert De Niro deserve credit as Pat's parents who are trying their best to take care of their son while dealing with their own issues. It's great to see De Niro perform again as the great actor that he is, it has been a while. I found his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles and the OCD little rituals that he has come up with to be a highlight of the film.
Silver Linings Playbook is far greater than the sum of its parts. A large part of this is thanks to the superb directing by David O. Russell. He gives all the characters enough room to develop. This film is also brilliantly written, with sharp and oftentimes funny dialogue with a sense of humour that feels a little out of place at moments, but is heartfelt and genuine at the same time. Everything just works here. The lighting, the cinematography, the music, everything falls into its right place. The editing deserves another separate compliment. Silver Linings Playbook is fantastically shot, but even better put together. Longer shots trade place with fast snapshots that gives this movie a very unique sense pacing. This movie just flows. Nothing is superfluous, everything scene matters here.
It's hard for me to express how much I love this film. No movie is perfect in my view, but Silver Linings Playbook comes very, very close. Above all, this movie sends a very clear and positive message: at the end of the day she are all a bunch of nutjobs who are doing their best to make the absolute best for themselves in this life. This film reminded me once again why I love watching movies in the first place and I can see myself watching this movie time and time again and never get bored of it.