Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence
Directed by David O. Russell
Given that David O. Russell began his career directing neuroses-fuelled farces, he surprised many by taking on The Fighter in 2010. However, it soon became apparent that the ostensible sports movie an underdog pugilist struggles with his overbearing mother and junkie brother fit well into Russells oeuvre, in which characters are constantly wrestling with normalcy. Silver Linings Playbook now sees the writer-director exploring his fascinations through the trappings of a romantic comedy.
At the centre of this comic maelstrom is Pat (Bradley Cooper), a bipolar Philadelphia native whos been discharged from a psychiatric facility and remanded into the custody of his doting mother (Jacki Weaver) and OCD father (an in-form Robert De Niro). Fixated on reconciling with his ex-wife, he finds his loved ones instead steering him towards Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a widow whos endured a meltdown of her own.
While theres a certain dubiousness to turning mental illness into fodder for comedy, its important to remember that Russell has successfully mined humour from far darker territory (incest, for instance, in Spanking the Monkey). Furthermore, he possesses a tremendous affection for his damaged characters thats rivalled only by the delight he takes in setting them at one anothers throats.
Given the chaos that reigns throughout Playbook, its perhaps only fitting that it should culminate with something as preposterous as a ballroom dancing competition. Commendably, Russell instills Pat and Tiffanys tripping of the light (less than) fantastic with all the same drama as The Fighters climactic bout.
