I approached Silver Linings Playbook more for the level of Oscar nominations than any familiarity with the popular in America book or strong connection to the plot. However it turns out that the plotline kind of mirrors the situation that someone we know is going through right now which made it much more personal to watch than I would have guessed.
The movie follows a 30 something guy called Pat whose mother has just come to release him from a mental institution, where he has been since an 'incident' six months earlier that broke up his marriage and resulted in him being diagnosed as bipolar and delusional. That incident is revealed early on to be much more severe than Pat makes it sound but Pat is living under the delusion that he will turn his life around without needing medication and get his wife Nicki back. The film explores Pat's journey as he struggles to achieve his goal, puts his family through a rollercoaster ride and forms an emotionally volatile friendship with Tiffany, who may or may not also have a few mental issues.
Both Pat and Tiffany are quite socially awkward which would make them quite unlikeable in real life but the characters both have enough redeeming moments to make you really want to cheer for them to get through their issues and achieve stability. The performances by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in these roles are very strong, mainly because they haven't gone 'showy' with them - they feel natural and realistic. No wonder the pair have won Oscar nominations for acting, although Jennifer is more likely to win her category than Bradley.
The supporting parts and plotlines are also quality. The football angle, where Pat's dad is an obsessed Eagles NFL team fan and amateur bookmaker who wants Pat to spend time watching games with him to help the 'juju', is a bit cheesy but ultimately satisfying. Robert de Niro does a nice restrained performance (for once) as a man struggling with his son's illness while possibly also suffering some similar, undiagnosed issues. Jacki Weaving is also nicely subdued as Pat's supportive Mum with a nice slightly Jewish accent. Chris Tucker pops up briefly as a friend from the psych hospital and John Ortiz is Pat's best buddy Ronnie who is having his own issues with his seemingly perfect life but these subplots get a little bit sidelined to keep the movie on track.
Overall I think they key to this movie is the fact that it is all quite understated, so you don't really 'enjoy' it but I did walk away thinking that it was very good and that I hadn't just seen an 'issues movie'. On reflection, it probably has some good messages about using positivity to make changes in your life but that it's not always that simple. It really can be so difficult for people to overcome mental issues which should not be dismissed lightly.
I don't see this winning the Best Picture Oscar but we could definitely see some acting wins (de Niro and Weaving are also nominated).
No comments:
Post a Comment