Film: Silver Linings Playbook

Director: David O. Russell
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2012)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinemas
Grade: B+

Silver Linings Playbook is exactly what you would expect if you hear "David O. Russell romantic comedy." Looking over his IMDB page it seems that he's done other romantic comedies in his past, but I know him as the director of The Fighter and I Heart Huckabees. This movie pretty successfully combines the awkward/dysfunctional family drama of the former with the silly (and absurd) comedy of the latter, and for the most part its pretty successful at it. That said, though this is a fine little film, I do not understand why it's gotten the Oscar attention it has this year. This is really not a film that will stand the test of time, especially since the third act forgoes the complex relationship/psychological drama of the first two acts in favor of standard romantic comedy shenanigans (yes, there is a big dance at the end, and yes, Jennifer Lawrence actually says the line, "But we have to practice the big move!"). Lawrence, Cooper, DeNiro, and Weaver are all solid, but do they ALL deserve Oscar nominations? I don't think so. Take Bradley Cooper, for example: He's great and scenery chewing and lots of fun, but in what world is this performance more worthy of recognition than Liam Neeson's fantastic turn in The Grey? It's not, in my humble opinion. (Though for some reason a quick look at IMDB lists The Grey as a 2011 movie even though it's got a January 27 2012 release date. I don't get release schedules.) Or how about a real dark horse, like Jack Black in Bernie?

I guess it doesn't matter too much anyway, since the category this year has to be a dogfight between Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean and Daniel Day Lewis's Abe Lincoln.

Best Director is the same. David O. Russell is solid, and there is some fine work here, but the film is also disjointed in a lot of ways. I don't understand why he gets the nod over Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom (though in my opinion Wes Anderson could be nominated for pretty much every movie since he's one of the most distinctive and focused directors working), Sam Mendes for Skyfall, Tom Hooper for Les Miserables (one of the best directed films I've seen all year), and of course Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty or Ben Affleck for Argo (my pick for best film of the year). 

As I said, I think the movie has a few problems (pacing, for example, and the aforementioned weak third act). The film desires to engage in issues like the effects of psychiatric disorders, but then it pretty much disregards them. And the therapist who seems to be a voice of reason early on later becomes just "a pal," basically ignoring all issues of appropriate doctor/patient boundaries.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is a lot of fun. The chemistry between Lawrence and Cooper is  excellent, and both have some great comic moments (typically tied to the sexual tension between them). Also, Chris Tucker makes a surprise (and enjoyable) return to the screen, though in a character that adds nothing to the advancement of the plot. It's a funny movie, but it's not an eight-Oscar movie. It's a good time, and not much more. 

Alternate Film Title: "Everybody Is In Everybody Else's Business"