Silver Linings Playbook

It feels like a movie based on a book, but that's not so bad. It's actually really entertaining. It's got a little bit of everything, something for everyone, and key elements of successful tv shows. (We all know tv is where it's at these days.) Rehab, OCD, quirky characters, sports, dancing, fitness, romance, therapy, family, little diner, great leads, and a classic American setting in Philadelphia.

Bradley Cooper is recovering from anger management issues, having 'gone off' after finding his wife in the shower with a coworker. He still loves her, though, and is intent on proving that he's changed and that she should come back to their marriage. Staying calm and putting his life back together is a little more difficult when he has to move home, try to get along with his dad, take a room in the attic, live up to his perfect older brother, and learn how to deal with the crazy neighbor who follows him around.

Performances are all top-notch, but the stand out performer is Jennifer Lawrence. While I've heard the rave reviews of her performance in The Hunger Games, I haven't seen the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by her womanliness, feistiness, and authenticity. She's really wonderful to watch, and the film thrives when she's around. I also really enjoy the fact that she and Julia Stiles actually look like they could be sisters - this cannot always be said for the casting of family members. DeNiro as Cooper's dad? Um...

What's fun about the movie is the interplay between Cooper's Eagles/Philly sports-obsessed family and Lawrence's dance project. I imagine Siver Linings Playbook makes for a great date movie. It tugs at the heartstrings in some very predictable ways, but also in some unexpected moments. Even the predictability of events is comforting, because it bodes well for the characters' lives. There's so much going on in the movie, but it's to adapter/director David O. Russell's credit that it never feels overwhelming (unless it's on purpose, for effect). The underdog casting choices also work in the film's favor. Early in the casting process, Mark Wahlberg and Anne Hathaway were attached to the project - safe to say that would have been a much different movie.

*Update: Nominated for Academy Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Cooper), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (DeNiro), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Lawrence), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Jacki Weaver, as Cooper's mother), Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Directing. A tad overkill with all the nominations, but I liked Lawrence.