Silver Linings Playbook Review
“Silver Linings Playbook:” Great game with a fourth quarter fumble
When I went to see this movie, I had no idea what it was about. When it started, I was happy to discover that, “Pat,” the main character (Bradley Cooper) was a patient in a mental hospital. So is his pal “Danny,” played by Chris Tucker. For some reason, I enjoy movies set in mental wards; maybe it just makes me all warm and fuzzy for home. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is an all-time favorite and my brother and I grew up repeating classic lines from it. There are also lots of movies that romanticize mental wards and the residents within. Another one that sticks in my brain is “Crazy People” with Dudley Moore, who recruits mental hospital patients to help him develop ad campaigns. And ANOTHER scary one I recently re-watched was “Shutter Island” with Leonardo Dicaprio. That was worth a see. Anyhow, if you read this and are offended by my language, I should disclose that I feel like I should get a pass because my sister is mentally ill and I’ve had to deal with that all my life, as has my whole family. There’s a fine line between genius and insanity and members of my family straddle that line more often than not. That’s why I liked this movie, “Silver Linings Playbook.” It provides a glimpse of what it’s like to have a member of the family struggle with mental illness. Wait. It’s never just one member because mental illness is a struggle for family members involved – and for family members who have chosen to no longer be involved.
But let’s start back at the beginning: In “Silver Linings Playbook,” we see that Pat is obsessed with his (ex)wife and won’t stop talking about her and the song “Ma Cherie Amor” by Stevie Wonder. The movie really starts when Pat’s mom, played convincingly by Jacki Weaver, pulls up in the Caddy to take Pat home…and then she stops and picks up Chris Tucker, another patient who seems to have also been released and needs a ride. Chris climbs in, only to be returned to the hospital shortly thereafter (seems his release wasn’t kosher and he’s more like one of those hitchhiking Pirates of the Caribbean ghosts). But the Chris Tucker character is really just a minor add-on that provides a funny beginning.
The movie revolves around the life of Pat and his parents, who let their son move back into their house. Pat and mom walk into their solidly middle class Philadelphia home and, as they do so, I was happily surprised to discover a domesticated Robert DeNiro as dad (I really didn’t pay any attention to this movie before I saw it, except that I saw it had good reviews). Robert seems surprised to see his son as well and there’s tension as we wonder if dad’s going to let Pat stay. But then dad embraces son and we all move in. This movie does a REALLY good job of portraying what it’s like to be living with someone who’s bipolar. Now, for those of us who deal with mentally ill family members, this is a pivotal moment: How do you balance having your own peaceful life with making sure your sibling/daughter/son/parent is being taken care of, preferably somewhere else? If you don’t have mentally ill family or friends in your life, watching scenes of Pat’s manic episodes provides a glimpse: At around 3:00 a.m., Pat crashes into his parents’ bedroom and wakes them up because he can’t find his wedding video. DeNiro and Weaver play this scene beautifully, as does Cooper. It felt so real to me and brought back memories of similar episodes with bipolar sis. Another vivid scene involves a similar episode that turns into an awkward physical confrontation where dad’s frustration and anger comes through sadly well. Wow. These people can act.
But this movie isn’t just about the difficulties of living with mental illness. It’s also very funny. The DeNiro dad lives and breathes Philadelphia Eagles and all sports of the Philadelphia type (Flipadelphia from Always Sunny image courtesy of the Funny T Shirt category). Seeing DeNiro in plaid sans-a-belt golf pants and Eagles cardigans cracked me up. Pretty quickly, we’re also introduced to Pat’s circle of friends, which includes a classic suburban couple who still socialize with Pat’s (ex-ish)wife. In an unoriginal twist, we see flashbacks of this wife, who Pat catches cheating on him, an event that ends with Pat beating the bejeebus out of some dude and Pat being institutionalized. We’re also introduced to the Jennifer Lawrence (main chick from Hunger Games) character, Tiffany. Tiffany is very cute, quirky crazy, and recently widowed. She and Pat immediately connect in a bizarre way and Tiffany begins reeling him in. There are interactions between Pat and Tiffany that are great and their relationship unfolds in a nice way…but then things go awry and the movie takes a big detour into Hollywoodland and never regains its original course.
I won’t spoil anything, and the movie’s still worth a watch, but the ending was lame. The lameness begins when Pat and Tiffany enter a dance contest. That in itself wasn’t bad, but the dance contest is connected with a bet DeNiro makes with his crony. That’s the part that’s lame and that provides the means for a triple dose of a Hollywood ending. It’s like the really clever writers who were doing a good job of creating authentic script and relationships got overruled by the producer who just wanted a happy ending. To follow the sports metaphor, the coach has been scribbling down some fantastic plays and the players have been following them brilliantly, but, sure of a victory, coach tries a 4th quarter play that bombs. Did the ending have to be so happy that the movie became another syrupy romantic comedy? I mean, I liked these characters and wanted there to be a “happily ever after” for them all, but did it just have to happen in such a clichéd way? It felt lazy and uninvented, which this movie hadn’t been. So, in a nutshell, is this movie worth the price of admission and two hours of your time? Yes, if only for Cooper’s portrayal of Pat, the fabulous characterization of Pat’s parents, and the scene where Tiffany wows DeNiro (a la Marisa Tomei’s classic “My Cousin Vinny” courtroom scene). The movie’s received much praise and deserves it, but did have its shortcomings, primarily at the end. On the whole, I’d give this movie an A-/B+. And there you have it. Over and out…until the next time.
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