Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012): USA

Reviewed by Rachel Morales. Viewed at AFI Fest 2012

Once in a while an actor embodies his character so completely, the association becomes forever embedded in the popular culture. Rocky is Sylvester Stallone; Pretty Woman is Julia Roberts. After viewing Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012) at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles, I see the potential for similar iconolatry of the character played by Bradley Cooper. Cooper’s portrayal of the emotionally-damaged Pat Jr. is so realistic, I found myself wondering if the actor suffers from the same bipolar disorder as his character.

The movie opens at a major crossroads in the life of Pat. He is restructuring his life, which apparently had spun so far out of control, he had to be committed to a mental hospital. Now that he is finally getting out, he fixates on fulfilling a single goal, which is to regain the affection of his ex-wife, whose unfaithfulness sparked the incident that led to his institutionalization. To that end, he makes the usual resolutions (get in shape, read a lot of books). Unfortunately, he also decides to go off his psychotropic medications, believing they are a sign of weakness. Despite the unpleasant social consequences (such as late-night visits from the cops), Pat is determined to go forward with his master plan. However, even the best-laid plans sometimes get hijacked. In this film, the hijacker takes the form of Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a train-wreck of a female who is apparently drowning the sorrows of widowhood with nymphomania. At their very first meeting, Pat informs her he is married and therefore not available. To the surprise of the audience members, and to the bigger surprise of Pat, Tiffany allows him to pierce her promiscuous outer shell to see the shy, sweet person underneath, and Pat accidentally falls in love with her.

Arguably Cooper’s biggest role before now was playing Phil in The Hangover (2009), and while he did a great job, his portrayal was one-dimensional. Obviously Cooper wasn’t playing to the members of the Academy; he was going for maximum laughs. However, given Cooper’s decision to reprise the role in 2011’s The Hangover II, fans might have started wondering if Cooper was heading down Typecast Blvd., dead-ending when the actor gets too old to play the role of the comedic goofball. How did writer-director David O. Russell know that Cooper could handle a role as heavy as Pat Jr.?  Whatever it is, we in the audience see it too.

With a strong supporting cast that includes Robert DeNiro and Chris Tucker, Silver Linings Playbook is one of those quirky films that weaves elements of comedy and romance in with its very dramatic plot and serious subject matter. The film realistically portrays the terrible stress that mental illness can place on family members, but it also shows that their unconditional love is what ultimately matters. We are shown what happens to Pat when a manic episode is triggered; hard-edged rock songs are bumped up to an uncomfortable volume, which, along with some frenzied close-up shots of Cooper, convey the sense of chaos and fear the manic depressive must be feeling. Fortunately for Pat, when the bipolar event ends, his parents are as loving and supportive as ever. It is this total acceptance that convinces him to turn his focus away from himself, and he makes the decision to go back on his medications. This first important step is followed by many other acts of unselfishness until Pat finally finds a sense of peace.

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Published:
11.12.12 / 8pm
Category:
AFI Filmfest 2012, Films