I have been hinting at the Oscar
contenders of the Holiday Movie Season for weeks now, but with all the
attention that has been heaped upon Daniel Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, a low-budget indie seemed to
slide-in under the radar. After recent
critical sweethearts like The Fighter,
The King’s Speech, My Week with Marilyn, The Iron Lady, and The Artist, film aficionados have learned that they had damned well
better pay attention anytime The Weinstein Company decides to release a film. Because of the relatively light marketing
campaign, by no means did Silver Linings
Playbook represent a commercial cash grab; instead it represented a clear
passion project for the ridiculously talented cast that would demand the attention
of Academy voters and hopefully draw larger audiences as an added benefit. In fact, Silver
Linings Playbook wasn’t at the top of my must-see list until I heard
critics declaring that the film would likely sweep Awards Season across the
Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Director, and Picture categories. With a wide release of only 371 theaters,
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence’s comedy-drama wasn’t easy to find, but it
was likely going to be worth the effort.
Overall
Recommendation: High
Strange and off-putting, though
oddly engrossing and charming, the true genius of Silver Linings Playbook lies in the strong direction and the
altogether masterful performances delivered by the cast. As a bipolar tortured soul, Bradley Cooper is
ridiculously convincing and thoroughly entertaining to watch, and Robert De
Niro’s performance is a testament to his legacy, but the true standout of this
film is Jennifer Lawrence. Holding her
own against Hollywood veterans, Lawrence flawlessly transitions between
charismatically offbeat and thoroughly unhinged; add that to her chemistry with
Cooper, and she is the early frontrunner to take home the Best Actress
Oscar. Unfortunately, the script itself
is not perfect as the manic pacing makes some conversations near-impossible to
follow, the ending comes across as predictably convenient, and the inclusion of
Chris Tucker amounts to little more than a cameo. In the end, Silver Linings Playbook isn’t perfect, but if you are a fan of the
cast, then you owe it to yourself to see the film that will likely have many of
the included thespians delivering acceptance speeches in February.
