A Silver Lining to the Rom-Com Genre

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2013)

After enjoying the best directorial success of his career with "The Fighter," David O. Russell continues his success with his new romantic comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," which he wrote and directed. But unlike your standard Hollywood rom-com, Russell adds dimensions to his characters and their relationships at a level that crafts them not as mindless characters who answer to the screenwriters, but as real people with real emotions.
Having said that, this film undoubtedly belongs to its eccentric characters and the actors that portray them. The film only goes as far as Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence can take it. Fortunately, they both deliver outstanding performances that earned both of them Oscar nods from the Academy. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a bipolar fellow who recently suffered a breakdown after discovering his wife Nikki cheating on him. Lawrence portrays Tiffany Maxwell, who like Pat, also suffers emotionally after the death of her husband. Both Cooper and Lawrence give performances that differ from their normal roles, requiring each to depict individuals who externally display their psychological and emotional issues and possess internal disarray as well.
We follow Pat Solitano as he struggles to accept his failed marriage with Nikki. He attempts to remain positive in order to discover a silver lining in his life, but really only in the hopes that it may lead him to a reunification with Nikki. Actually he winds up meeting Tiffany, with whom he agrees to participate in a dance competition in exchange for delivering letters to Nikki. Throughout their relationship, we see Pat struggle with his desire to reconcile with his wife and his developing feelings for Tiffany at the same time. The true joy of watching the budding relationship between Pat and Tiffany comes from the acting and the dialogue. Russell does not have them spew out thin, ordinary lines but rather complicates them and makes their dialogues intriguing and indirect.
Pat also must deal with the existing relationship between his superstitious father Pat Sr., Robert De Niro, and himself. Pat Sr. possesses psychological issues of his own in his obsessive compulsive behavior when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles. He turns television remotes in unusual positions, always carries his handkerchief, and incessantly begs Pat to watch the game with him. The complex relationship between Pat Sr. and Pat revolves around the struggle of each to deal with the others psychological problems.
A lesser film might mishandle the relationship between Pat Sr. and Pat and have it come off as one dimensional. Russell does the opposite, however. He superbly handles their scenes and through excellent writing adds depth and layers to his characters and story. One particular scene I'm thinking of involves Pat Sr. waking up Pat to go to the Eagles- Giants game and telling him "I want to do anything I can to get you back up on your feet. That's the whole point." Perhaps Pat Sr. does not simply view Pat as a good luck charm but rather desires to spend time with his boy in order to help him through his troubles. This father-son moment adds another dimension to the relationship between Pat and his father that works to emotionally enthrall the audience.
Now does this mean "Silver Linings Playbook" avoids any romantic comedy clichés? No. The film does play to certain conventions of classic Hollywood cinema. But that fails to outweigh the strong, captivating dialogue, the multi-dimensional relationships at work, the tremendous, heartfelt performances, and the overall splendid direction of David O. Russell.