A great movie (Except for Act 3)

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2013)

MANY MANY SPOILERS
It seemed like the writers wrote the first hour of the movie in a set of months, and then they were harassed about a deadline and pulled an all-nighter to finish up the rest.
It had so much potential. Bradley Cooper gave a great performance as a man with honest intentions, but mental illness sent him astray. You understand exactly why he hurt the man in his wife's affair, and relate to his desperate attempt to win her back. The addition of the wedding song acting as a "trigger" that initiates a tantrum of rage was very compelling, especially when it started in his head even when it wasn't actually on. Another compelling aspect of the writing is that Jennifer Lawrence's character, Tiffany, is the only one that understands that it's playing in his head at times.
The most memorable aspect of the movie, as most people will admit, is Jennifer Lawrence's performance. She adds so much heart and reality to a role that could easily alienate the audience. She was a sex addict who tried to cheat the system at her work through manipulating her fellow workers, but you never question her true intentions. Despite how I feel about the movie, I was very impressed with her, and am very excited to see what Jennifer Lawrence does next with her vibrant career. Without Jennifer Lawrence, I would not have remained so attached to the concept of the story as the movie went on. On that note...
The movie's pace is vibrant and real as it goes on. Pat decides to go to the Eagles game instead of practicing with Tiffany, and the scene was simply him and his friend dancing in slow motion. It was just pure fun for a short moment, and my connection with these characters was what made me so unbelievably happy.
Then the ending comes. As I do during every truly good movie, I reach a point in the story where I begin to predict the ending. What makes a good movie great is that my expectations are never completely correct. I could predict that the Eagles would win, just as they needed. that Pat and Tiffany would score exactly a 5.0, just as they needed, and Pat would reject Nikki and chase down Tiffany, to tell her he loves her. It honestly could not have been more sappy, cheap and, honestly, rude to a captive audience.
One of the most powerful aspects of the movie, though, is that you can consider it a chick flick in the end, although the characters both suffered from mental illness. The audience experiences their situation from a perspective that shows how utterly human these emotions are.