Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, USA, 2012)
Ben Livant:
No, Silver Linings Playbook is not nearly as good as writer/director David O. Russell's previous film The Fighter. But I suppose this is because it's based on a work of fiction, whereas The Fighter is based on a true story. There is also the working-class social framework, overt and acute in The Fighter, just covert and mellow in SLP. And ultimately, the sibling rivalry and maternal favouritism in the family dynamic of The Fighter is intense and troubled. In SLP, the paternal favouritism is mostly a back story afterthought and the romantic conflict is, frankly, quite contrived. Or should the invidious comparison of the two films simply come down to a difference of drugs; a serious problem in The Fighter, a joke in SLP?
This registered, I enjoyed SLP. I understand why its basically blue collar optimism will make the film a hit. It should not be judged next to any sort of realistic drama. Instead, it should be evaluated in the company of the kind of comedy for adults that is dominant these days; you know, stuff by Apatow. Side by side with this sort of stuff, SLP is more emotionally substantive. It feels more true to life and on this basis it speaks to people looking for at least a dose of honesty when it comes to the domestic troubles of folks who have fallen on hard times; economically, psychologically, romantically, all around. The upbeat message is popular, of course, in the end a confirmation of the love in the family.
The ensemble performances are attractively naturalistic. Ever since Winter's Bone, I have had my eye on Jennifer Lawrence and I am enjoying watching her career take off. But goddamn, just when I thought I would never see DeNiro do it again - he does it again. Guy killed me this time out. I just gotta give it up to him one more time.
Dan Jardine:
To praise a film because it is more emotionally substantive than a Judd Apatow film is akin to applauding Ethan Hawke because he does Shakespeare better than Keanu Reeves.
Okay, all cheapshots aside, I cannot say that Silver Linings Playbook worked for me at any level beyond that of a well-made and acted rom-com. I dig that Russell is playing in a slightly different blue collar sandbox than most films of this ilk, but beyond papering over a lot of script deficiencies with some terrific casting, I'm not sure what else this film brings to the genre that hasn't been done many times before. Sure, the film raises the stakes a bit by introducing a mental illness angle to the romance, but all that potential credibility is dissipated with a resolution that is both conventional and trite.
Lastly, I rankle at some of the same matters that you do, but even more so, I am irked by the incredible buzz this film has generated in the critical community (92% approval rating at Rotten-Tomatoes, 81% at Metacritic), as well as with Academy members who have seen fit to nominate the film for eight awards, including all the major categories (picture, director, acting.) I love the work that deNiro and Lawrence do here, the latter proving that her work in Winter's Bone was no fluke, but ultimately all they do is prove the old adage that you can cover up a lot of problems with the script by hiring good actors.
Ben Livant:
This registered, I enjoyed SLP. I understand why its basically blue collar optimism will make the film a hit. It should not be judged next to any sort of realistic drama. Instead, it should be evaluated in the company of the kind of comedy for adults that is dominant these days; you know, stuff by Apatow. Side by side with this sort of stuff, SLP is more emotionally substantive. It feels more true to life and on this basis it speaks to people looking for at least a dose of honesty when it comes to the domestic troubles of folks who have fallen on hard times; economically, psychologically, romantically, all around. The upbeat message is popular, of course, in the end a confirmation of the love in the family.
The ensemble performances are attractively naturalistic. Ever since Winter's Bone, I have had my eye on Jennifer Lawrence and I am enjoying watching her career take off. But goddamn, just when I thought I would never see DeNiro do it again - he does it again. Guy killed me this time out. I just gotta give it up to him one more time.
Dan Jardine:
To praise a film because it is more emotionally substantive than a Judd Apatow film is akin to applauding Ethan Hawke because he does Shakespeare better than Keanu Reeves.
Okay, all cheapshots aside, I cannot say that Silver Linings Playbook worked for me at any level beyond that of a well-made and acted rom-com. I dig that Russell is playing in a slightly different blue collar sandbox than most films of this ilk, but beyond papering over a lot of script deficiencies with some terrific casting, I'm not sure what else this film brings to the genre that hasn't been done many times before. Sure, the film raises the stakes a bit by introducing a mental illness angle to the romance, but all that potential credibility is dissipated with a resolution that is both conventional and trite.
Thank you! Just saw it tonight. I was shocked at how little development we see of any of the characters. They all seem to go from one state to the other so fast. The ending was also not as satisfying as I'd hoped. I felt like there were a lot of unresolved issues that no one was addressing.
ReplyDeleteDespite the good actors (Cooper above all) and the sensitive subject, it's nothing more than the usual sugar-coated romantic comedy, with the usual happy ending.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Lawrence is definitely overrated and I can't believe she won an Oscar Award for this movie.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteYour pathetic attempt at presenting yourself as an intellectual whom is qualified to provide a worthy opinion of.. well.. anything.. supersedes any flaw in this movie! You need help!
whom is qualified?
DeleteUmmm, it's who, not whom...So now the question becomes who is presenting whom as an intellectual?
ReplyDeleteAwesome Reply!! Was thinking the same thing.
Deletehilarious...the guy berates someone for being a pseudo intellectual...and can't get his own grammar right.
DeleteI really agree with the first anonymous! Although the acting was superb, there were ultimately a lot of issues I feel were not resolved. Down the road, these characters would surely have the same problems over and over because they never really solved anything. Especially the the parents, who perhaps had some of the biggest problems - yet their characters didn't really change at all.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as someone who is familiar with many people suffering from bipolar disorder, I can't help but feel the lead seemed to be displaying more autistic traits.
After seeing this movie just a few hours ago, I have to admit I don't see anything particularly special about it and don't understand the amount of attention it's getting.
This is probably the worst movie I have seen in a long time. I wanted to quit watching halfway through SLP because I was annoyed and irritated with all the screaming and yelling and ranting from within the dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the worst movie I have seen in a long time. I wanted to quit watching halfway through SLP because I was annoyed and irritated with all the screaming and yelling and ranting from within the dialogue.
ReplyDeleteWow, you just can't please some people. Silver Linings Playbook was not only funny and touching, but it was a great story. The main character develops from being awkward, insecure, and rudderless to the confident, reliable, and caring person we see at the end, and it happens for logical and believable reasons. He lets go of his blind attachment to his ex-wife, and establishes the bonds with his family that he should have had. It's a story about a broken person developing into a man; the man that confidently walks into the bar at the end and pulls Lawrences character out, to help her. THAT is why this story is so popular, you ignorant snobs. Do your homework.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree more, despite a terrific cast and overall performances, I totally failed to comprehend why this movie was getting that much critical acclaim. Also Jennifer Lawrence is pretty overrated in my opinion, good acting but not worth an Academy Award. Come on..
ReplyDeleteI loved this movie but will not argue with you that it certainly is not perfect. The character development is lacking on his black friend and on his brother as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't they have delved deeper into his friends life and troubles and leave out the brother completely?
That said, Lawrence is a dream and Cooper is better than ever--the whole cast is superb.
The ending is quick--too quick in my book,s the scene in the street begged for 5 minutes of explanation from Cooper as to why he loved Lawrence more than his wife.
Nearly perfect--love that Lawrence.
I just assumed that I was going to love this movie because of all the hype it got and I'm rather easy to entertain. WOW-was I wrong. Poor character and plot development. unrealistic bazaar scenes (not because of the bi-polar), etc. Example: the gentleman who walks up to the parent's house looking to score with Lawrence's character?! It was silly, non-sensical and did not have a good flow to it. I learned later than it was supposedly a comedy. I can get more satisfaction out of a dumb made for tv movie. Pure proof that it's not how good the movie is but who you know that gets the Hollywood buzz and awards.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the above anonymous did not know that this movie was intended be a comedic until AFTER watching it should be enough of a red flag for others to conclude that his/her review should be ignored. I mean, did this person also think Scary Movie 5 was a horror film? I have seen plenty of bad movies, but I always had the intelligence to at least be aware of what genre movie X was!
ReplyDeleteThis movie tries so hard and falls so flat. The performances were as overrated as the script.
ReplyDelete