Everyone
knows about Silver Linings Playbook so far and has been on the minds and hearts
of the Academy and fans. I knew
the basic premise of the film before going in and I knew what the film was
nominated for but I decided to not to think about that while viewing it or by
writing this review. I can say
that the film is a slow build with some dragging parts but as a whole this film
is magnificent. With comedy melded
together with heartbreak, mental illness, drama, and romance, this film is
something that should be viewed and enjoyed. It’s a good time at the movies and you’ll leave the film feeling warm
and joyful.
Bradley
Cooper stars as Patrick, a bipolar, magic 8-ball of emotions type who is
released from the mental institution and goes off to stay with his
parents. He comes out trying
to mend his strenuous relationship with his wife while also trying to regain
his sanity. On his journey back to
his wife he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a crazy, promiscuous
twentysomething who lost her husband in an accident and deals with her
depression in colorful ways.
The film
is funny and heartfelt and will have some misting at times and that’s what I liked about this
film. It had you laughing but it
also had you feeling something.
What I had a problem with was the first hour of the movie. About one hour into it I wasn’t enjoying it. For some reason, I felt as though the
pacing was off. I was tapping my
foot waiting for the film be over and done with. I’m glad I stayed.
Who started out as a character that was not very likable, Bradley Cooper
managed to draw me in and take along his journey. Who knew the obnoxious teacher from The Hangover had any
acting skills whatsoever.
Jennifer
Lawrence is witty and full of energy and its fun to see her bouncing back and
forth with Cooper. You can feel
the chemistry from the screen. She
plays a character that would feel to be too over the top for most projects but
she felt down to earth, earnest and real, like I could bump into that person on
the street. Robert De Nero plays
Coopers OCD, Philly Eagles obsessed father and Jacki Weaver plays his
sheltering, enabling wife.
The
scenes, for the most part, with De Nero are genuinely funny but made me feel
uncomfortable. He has OCD and has
to perform a ritual before every football game which plays off the humor but at
those times it felt wrong to laugh his condition. Weaver was good in the scenes she's in; most of the acting
she does is with her body, her stature, poses, body language, etc. You almost feel how she's feeling.
What I
loved most about this movie was the use of dolly shots. O. Russell makes the camera a main
character. He moves the camera
during scenes almost like the camera is speaking with the actors. Think a dance routine where the camera leads.
This is a
film about family and dealing with vices.
This would have been a perfect film but the first hour was slow. I felt bored during that time, thinking
about things that could interest me more.
To sum up the film in the perfect way is to compare it to the dance
scene at the end. It's an elegant
piece of work with a genuine, funny, earnest core that has a happy ending. What more could you ask for?
No comments:
Post a Comment