An engaging, witty and heart warming story

Rating: 7/10 (3 March 2013)

Among the new releases over this holiday season was quirky comedy/drama Silver Linings Playbook. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert DiNero, the offbeat comedy has swept this year's awards with major nominations for Oscars and Golden Globes; it even managed to snag a best lead actress globe for Jennifer Lawrence at last week's ceremony. The story centers on Pat (Cooper), a teacher who has to move back in with his parents after a stint in a mental institution, Pat suffers from bipolar disorder and is trying to get his life back on track by getting fit and reconciling with his wife, but like any good comedy, this does not go to plan. Pat's football obsessed family want to help him get his life together, but once he meets young widow Tiffany (Lawrence), things start to go awry. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but in return she asks him to be her partner in a local dancing competition.
Silver Linings Playbook had the potential to be your regular romcom, but thanks to its somewhat controversial theme and excellent casting, it effortlessly avoids this. Instead, viewers are treated to character driven plot that is filled out with a mix of tense and hilariously awkward scenes that make the film incredibly enjoyable. The ending is the only predictable aspect of the film, but it's a satisfying one as the characters you were rooting for get what they deserve.
From the get go, Silver Linings Playbook is clever, engaging and heart- warming, both Cooper and Lawrence give outstanding performances that make their characters not just likable, but believable too, and an all- star supporting cast including Robert DiNero, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker give the story more layers. A film about mental illness, dancing and American football might sound slightly strange, but it's the strangeness of this film that makes it so good, and a shoe in for at least one Oscar this year.