The Brilliance of a Silver Lining

I saw "Silver Linings Playbook" last night. I really loved this movie. I laughed out loud a lot, sometimes because it was just uncomfortable to think two people like this are actually in a family somewhere.

Bradley Cooper was dreamy, even when he is playing person who is really pretty unbalanced. He deals with bipolar disorder by muscling his way through his episodes with positivity and self discipline with mixed results. The scene where Pat looks for his wedding video is part of what got Cooper his best actor nod. Jennifer Lawrence was great as Tiffany, the young widow on the edge of self-destruction, but not great enough to beat Naomi Watts for "The Impossible" or Quvenzhané Wallis for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" for the Oscar. Her nomination, however, is well deserved.

I loved that we never saw their dance in full until the competition. I loved how important the Philadelphia Eagles were to this family. Since I grew up in a family where the Pittsburgh Steelers were a Sunday ritual, I get this family.  DeNiro as the father and Jackie Weaver as the mother were delightful and painful as they try to help their youngest son find his way out of the mess that bipolar disorder has made of his life. The "R" rating is for the salty language and frank discussions.

While the story, the acting, and directing are great, the production was definitely "small". I saw several continuity flubs, and I'm not generally the person who catches those things. There's even a spot where you see a piece of the camera equipment, again, not something I normally catch. I have to say I am a little surprised by the best picture nod for this film in that respect. To me, a best picture movie should be a movie that is as flawless as can be in all the aspects of film, not just the story elements, the acting elements, or the direction.

But, I definitely got caught up in this movie. I held my breath, and then cheered or sighed in the appropriate spots. The brilliant performances of all the actors is what makes this film more than just another romantic comedy.