Mental illness has always been an intriguing subject in film. We have seen schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind, obsessive-compulsive disorder in The Aviator, delusional disorders in Black Swan and clinical depression in Melancholia. Although they are serious afflictions that greatly affect the characters we watch, they provide a rather interesting viewing experience for the audience because we get to analyze these characters and how these illnesses influence the ways in how they act in their surroundings.
In director David O. Russell's comedy-drama, Silver Linings Playbook, based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the film takes a detailed and honest look into the lives and interactions with its two main characters as they try to help each other as they go through major life changes while having mental illness affect them.
Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from a mental health facility after a violent episode of his bipolar disorder landed him in an eight-month period of treatment. Upon his release, he moves back in with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver), and plans on getting his life back together, including winning back his wife. After his first few days back, Pat's friend introduces him to his sister-in-law, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has suffered some episodes of depression after the death of her husband. Pat and Tiffany eventually connect over their problems. Soon after, Tiffany offers to assist Pat with trying to reconnect with his wife, and then asks him to participate in a dance contest with her in return. Through their time together, they hope to improve their lives with each other's help.
After watching Bradley Cooper in films such as The Hangover movies, Wedding Crashers and Hit and Run, it's a remarkable sight to see him become engaged in more dramatic material. We become acquainted with his character at the very beginning as he makes a promise to himself that he will become a better person. It is with this that we get an idea of his commitment to changing his life. The character is an intelligent individual, which is seen as he dedicates some of his time at home to reading books that appear on the reading list for the class of his English-teacher wife. Actually, the first time we see an example of his mood swings is when he's reading. He is passionately reading A Farewell to Arms, only to chuck it out of his bedroom window when he's unsatisfied with the ending. Cooper does a noteworthy job with expressing the struggle of Pat's bipolar disorder as he makes his shifts between his good moods and bad moods. Pat says that he doesn't have a filter on what he says, but a lot of what comes out of his mouth is both funny and insightful. Whatever he says, we want to listen.
Jennifer Lawrence gives another powerhouse performance that shows she is one of the most versatile actresses working today. Tiffany may be a standoffish character, but Lawrence plays her in such a way that encourages the viewer to peek into her mind to see why she is who she is. Much like Pat, Tiffany doesn't hold anything back when expressing his opinions. In one particular scene, she throws a furious temper in a diner, sending the contents of the table crashing to the floor. In the films I've seen with Lawrence, I've never seen her in such a fit of anger, and it displayed the outstanding range of emotion and talent she can bring to her roles. She exhibits anger, sadness, humor, happiness and everything in between with the confidence and ability of any veteran actor or actress.
Robert De Niro delivers his best work in years as Pat's gambling, OCD father. As a caring parent, he wants to do what's best for his son, but can't seem to stop seeing him as a good-luck charm for Philadelphia Eagles games. De Niro brings compassion to a character that can be hard to get through to, due to him persistently pulling his son into feeding his gambling addiction. However, there is more to this relationship than is seen at first, and underneath De Niro's pushy approach to his son, there is a softness and understanding that he gives to his family. With De Niro usually playing tough-guy characters, having him take on this type of role is a performance to remember.
The film uses some clever ways to express Pat's bipolar disorder outside of the actual illness, such as being torn between spending time with his family and Tiffany, as well as having both her and his ex-wife on his mind. Pat's character is all about shifting from one thing to another, just like his mood swings. With Tiffany's depression, there is an interesting use of color motifs, particularly with black, such as her black clothing, dance shoes and iPod.
The screenplay by O. Russell focuses greatly on the effects that mental illnesses can have on a family. It's not overly dramatic with its depiction of the characters' troubles, but rather adds some humor to the plot, all with O. Russell's superb direction. The characters are written in a way that they don't sit around and bemoan their conditions, but instead take the initiative to make their lives better. This allows for the humor to be effective when it comes as they help each other; particularly when Chris Tucker's character decides to help Pat and Tiffany for a bit with the dance competition. However, even though the story doesn't exceed with drama, that doesn't mean the script makes light of the situation. Despite the comedic elements, the story doesn't divert from the reality of the circumstances. Given the script's strong points, the only problem I found with the screenplay is that the ending is predictable in its romance.
Silver Linings Playbook is a creative and sensitive look at mental illnesses and the families of the individuals afflicted with those illnesses. The actors and actresses in the film don't portray their roles as caricatures of people with these disorders, but as real people dealing with what they have. As football comes into the plot, it factors into the overall theme that no matter the tackles that get you down, there's always an opportunity to get back up and improve.
Final grade: A-
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