Silver Linings Playbook

Necessary disclaimer:  This is harder then I thought, but it made me look at the movie from a different perspective. I guess that is the point. Here is my negative review of Silver Linings Playbook, a movie that I loved.

Typical when you have a film with such a great cast, the movie doesn’t have to do a lot to be considered good. The good cast can carry a not so good movie.  When you have a good movie, the cast of characters can be a distractions.

That almost happened with Silver Linings Playbook.  They created an amazing story with compelling, touching and sad, but hopeful characters with real life problems, but the choice of cast pulled you out again and again from what could have been a perfect movie.

Bradley Cooper played Pat, a guy who suffered from bi-polar.  He was fixated on getting his life back after he returns from a stint in a mental institution.  Bradley Cooper is gorgeous, sexy as hell, his voice has a melody to it.  He can be the playboy, he can be the sweet sensitive type. He can be the hero, and the villain,  but he doesn’t get anywhere near crazy.  He never quite got there for me and it was hard to believe him in that role.  He needed to go all the way and unfortunately, he feel a little short.  He may have tried to act crazy, but he was still to attractive to be believable.

Jennifer Lawrence played Tiffany, a recent widow with her own issues of mental stability.  I admit she had issues, but come on, real issues are choosing to replace your younger sister from competing in a ‘to the death’ survival game in order to return hope and morale to your home town.  Now that girl had problems.  I don’t mean to sound flip, but when I saw the movie, I keep thinking Katniss, you have enough to deal without taking on Tiffany’s problems.

Finally, you have Robert DeNiro as Pat’s father.  Robert DeNiro is one of our all time greatest actors. He has stared in, carried and played so many characters. To see him relegated to such a supporting role was hard to see.  DeNiro isn’t a small actor and this role needed subtle that a great actor like him couldn’t settle into.  He stoled every scene an I don’t think he was supposed to.

Don’t get me wrong, some times a great movie needs great actors (see The Avengers), but for the tone of this movie, it would have benefits from letting the characters, and not the cast, speak for themselves.