mixed emotions

Rating: 4/10 (16 December 2012)

Yes, the movie is well acted; certain scenes work very well; and the movie moves along at a nice clip...however - the film IS naive about bipolar disorder and mental illness; the film has strange things to say about women (does Tiffany need to be a "slut"? Why? And Jennifer Lawrence is too young, the age difference glares between her and Bradley Cooper). Also, the "feel goody" aspects of the film don't work for me: it feeds the fantasies of fans (fanatics) around "luck". I personally was offended at the laughter in the theatre at unfunny situations that were sad and hurtful.
A big problem I have with this movie: re-imagine this movie with an ugly actor in the lead role. Let that sink in. We often feel differently towards people based on their looks, so casting a hunk becomes an issue.
The film has really good performances, and I would single out Jacki Weaver's mother - a woman who has put up with too much from the men in her life and has accepted the life that she has with these difficult men. It's De Niro's best performance in too many years to count. And Bradley Cooper has some nicely played scenes. I'm less happy with Ms. Lawrence's role, but that has to do with the writing and also the age difference (she's too young for this role).
This film is a decent solid film but it is being over-praised.