Silver Linings Playbook

Mental health has been the focus of many films both good and bad. In Silver Linings Playbook mental health issues are everywhere but at no point was this a film where this subject was the central plot. Silver Linings Playbook is at heart a film about people who just so happen to be severely depressed, bi-polar or suffer with ocd. The film  makes a point of showing not all mental illness is diagnosed and it is something that is affecting more and more people in everyday life.

On synopsis alone you would struggle to link this film with David O. Russell's last 'The Fighter' but both films are linked by family and the struggles with or without them as well as Russell getting phenomenal performances from his ensemble casts.

Bradley Cooper was not a name you expected to see academy award nominee next to anytime soon but he delivers a beautiful performance here that is measured but not too calculated. A lot of the plaudits have gone to Jennifer Lawrence for yet another star making performance but we all knew she was of good pedigree and wouldn't expect anything less from her at the moment. Robert De Niro delivers his first great performance since Jackie Brown and Jackie Weaver shows her range with a performance  as a mother who is the polar opposite of her character in Animal Kingdom.

The film is genuinely funny and some people don't feel comfortable because of this, they perceive us to be laughing at the characters but we are simply laughing at the awkwardness, the inappropriateness and we are laughing along with them. The exchanges between the two leads show great chemistry and its little wonder they are both starring opposite each other again in Susanne Bier's latest feature Serena.

The film is delicate, thoughtful and heartfelt. Three words that if you have watched the infamous 'I Heart Huckabees' outtake on Youtube or have heard the story about George Clooney hitting him, you would not associate with David O. Russell which for me just goes to prove what an exceptional Directer he is. He has consistently produced good movies, came back when everybody thought he was out, coaxed oscar nominated performances out of otherwise average actors and turns what could have been a standard romcom (SLP)/sports movie (the fighter) dealt with subjects that could risk being insensitive or cliche mental illness/drugs and turned them into well written, well acted and perfectly paced movies.