Silver Linings Playbook Re-Review

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence crackle together in an offbeat romcom that’s more masterfully bipolar than it’s main characters.

“Excelsior!” – Patrick, always looking on the bright side of life.

Silver Linings Playbook works on a number of different levels. It’s an exploration of mental health, male relationships, romance, and the difference between the mental well and unwell. The fact that it manages to explore all these themes and still provide an endearing romantic comedy with two complex, well-rounded characters is hugely impressive and deserves a watch for this alone.

Silver Linings opens with Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) being released from a mental hospital as part of a plea bargain after savagely assaulting his cheating wife’s lover. Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, he is nevertheless determined to prove he’s changed so he can win her back and refuses to accept she may have moved on with her life.

He sees a perfect opportunity to demonstrate this when he meets a damaged widow named Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence) who is just as intense as he is. The two bond over their past experiences of medication side-effects and start to grow closer, Pat seeing an opportunity to prove he has matured and Tiffany wanting Pat as her dance partner in an upcoming competition.

Traditionally, Hollywood has not done a good job of depicting mental illness on screen. Either opting to go for total fantasy or insulting stereotypes. Silver Linings manages to avoid this trap, unafraid to explore the difficult reality of living with mental illness, whilst avoiding defining it’s main characters by their disorders.

Initially coming across as self-absorbed because of his more manic, impulsive behaviour, such as recklessly making a grab for the steering wheel while his mother drives, Pat quickly becomes sympathetic because of his eternal optimism and how much his illness has affected him.  Bradley cooper is perfectly cast in the role, selling Pat’s mood swings and unpredictability perfectly without making him too aggressive.

Jennifer Lawrence does the same with Tiffany, managing to walk the right line between being strong and vulnerable. The two have fantastic chemistry on screen together and  really sell the idea of a powerful mutual yearning that is both emotional and sexual in nature.

The love story between the two never devolves into sap, however. The film switches tones almost as fast as its main characters switch moods, but the most consistent tone is one of bruised-hearted optimism that precludes too much sentiment.

The best example of the way Silver Linings veers all over the map in terms of mood has to be the awkward diner not-date scene. In the space of 6 minutes the scene is comedic, dramatic, tragic, cringe-making, and poignant. In lesser hands it would make for an uneven narrative, but the script is low-key enough with these swings to make it work.

Tiffany and Pat aren’t the only characters in the film having problems, however. Silver Linings examines the difference between the supposedly mentally well and the mentally ill and finds a much smaller gulf than we would like. 

Pat’s friend Ronnie struggles with the suffocating demands of suburban life, while his father is pretty clearly OCD and manifests it as an obsession with superstitious rituals while watching sports. Mental health can be subjective- what’s perfectly normal for one person can be a sign of crisis in another- and Silver Linings acknowledges this. 

 Silver Linings also tackles male relationships, something not often seen in films. Outside of Tiffany, Pats other relationships all revolve around other men-his therapist, his best friend, his brother, his father- all of which share a gruff tenderness. Pat Snr breaking down in tears as he confesses he wants to be closer to Pat is genuinely affecting and I cheered when Pat agreed to something as simple to watch the game with him.

There’s a lot to really love about this film but there is criticism to be made. I can’t really get into it here without spoiling a lot of the film, but I will say that the ending takes on a very different feeling if you interpret Tiffany as being manipulative, something the film brushes over quickly to get to ending.

Overall, Silver linings Playbook is a masterful work that easily switches genres to create something unlike anything you will have seen before. There’re so many points to make about this film that I can’t help but feel I’ve short-changed it by not including them in this review. The most important thing you need to know is that I had a great time watching this film, and so will you.

Verdict 4.5/5

• Honestly, the worst thing about this film is that Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t want me to be her dance partner at the end of it.
• Pats mum is a precious flower and if anyone ever hurts her we make the streets burn.
• Randy is my least favourite character in this whole thing. Scumbag. 

Next Time: I’m gonna have to jump back into Hidden Gems, aren’t I? I’ll find something a little more niche than “Oscar-winning film” next time, I promise.

Silver Linings Playbook is available on Amazon Prime, DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.