I watched this movie after seeing clips of Jennifer Lawrence's acceptance speech @ the Golden Globes. First off, Jennifer Lawrence is adorable and what a nice a**. Her performance in this movie was spot on. I really enjoyed the scene in the home between her and Robert DeNiro. I didn't realize he was in this movie. That must have been so exciting for Jennifer Lawrence, to be able to work with Robert DeNiro, so early on in her career. I would guess working with him makes you bring your "A" game. That is also why I think Bradley Cooper brought the noise as well with his performance. Loved the dance scenes! This movie is more than a 'chick flick'. It is gripping, moving and a heartfelt love story that takes on so many problems people face in their own lives. Great performances by all and definitely worth the price of admission. Who knos fellas, you may even feel all warm inside at the end.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Two endings: one happy, one sad, wind up Billy Brown's malleable story in Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66, the 1998 cult classic that informs Silver Linings Playbook: sometimes broadly, sometimes not. Like any good quarterback, however, the film calls many audibles and creates something new from the prevailing framework. But make no mistake about it, the QB scouted the Bills-themed indie. The QB knows the players. Billy, lost and unloved, just released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, inevitably, finds himself at a strip joint, bent on revenge with gun in hand, staring down Scott Wood, a retired placekicker whose missed game-winning field goal prompted in Billy a default on his wager to a local bookie that the designated fall guy couldn't begin to recompense. As the club's owner, Scott holds court in a private booth, in which the Super Bowl goat, surrounded by topless women, takes a bullet in the forehead before the disgruntled gambler turns the gun to the side of his own temple. Excelsior, Pat's notion that every bad situation has a silver lining is something Billy doesn't prescribe to, or so it seems, at first. Who is the omniscient QB(read: narrator) that changes the called play: the murder/suicide? Is it the bipolar high school teacher, who similar to the would-be killer, returns home after being incarcerated for a felony(he nearly beats his wife's lover to death), with the difference being that the facility is a mental hospital, not a state penitentiary? Pat, similar to Billy, grew up in a house where the preponderance of football created an extensive amount of dysfunction between parent and child. When Pat Sr. complains that Tiffany is messing up his team's juju, it reveals how for many Americans, football functions as a sort of pagan religion. In the Brown household, O.J. with the pigskin graces their wall, not J.C. on the cross. Moreover, Billy is named after the appelation given to the cold weather city's team. Clearly, both men played(and continue to play) second fiddle to an organization of beefy athletes who on Sunday, diverted their parents from the church and into a stadium, the house of laical worship. Sadly, the discovery made by Tiffany that Pat's catchword doubles as the motto used on the New York State seal, constitutes as a bona fide miracle. In Buffalo '66, god is in the details; the parking lot markings where Billy tries to drive Layla's "shifter car", look conspicuously like hash marks. The eagle, another detail, the symbol that serves as the moniker for Philadelphia's NFL team, doubles as a sign, a street sign in Buffalo, where Billy crosses Eagle Avenue during his quest for a public restroom. Therefore "reading the signs," becomes even more pronounced, becomes more than the key phrase from the letter Tiffany writes in order to trick her fellow codependent into participating at a formal dance competition. She has filmic powers. The audience can read signs, too. Tiffany passes Baldwin(as in bald eagle) Street; she spans time like Billy, but backwards instead of forwards, all the way back to Eagle Avenue. Blink and you'll miss it, but as Tiffany enters the Ben Franklin Hotel, you see a camera flash go off; it's the photo booth scene updated. Other faint echoes abound, especially the moment in Buffalo '66 when Billy runs into Wendy Balsam, his unrequited childhood crush, whose house he used to walk past, since in Silver Linings Playbook, Pat jogs past Tiffany's place, but unlike Wendy, she comes out of the house, crossing Pat's path and greeting him with a sharp "hey". Tiffany, the girl who can span time, by running with her stalker(decked out in a garbage bag), it can be construed, is in a sort of extra-diegetical communique with celluloidal Buffalo and its flickering residents. She's the retroactive ghost in Gallo's film, a conduit from the moving picture future, a second skin beneath Layla, as she coaxes the former Bills fan into believing that he's better than Wendy(who growing up, perceived Billy as garbage), which has ramifications in her own life, since throughout Silver Linings Playbook, she is proving her love for Pat is bigger than Nikki's. Hypothetically speaking, in the performative sense, Silver Linings Playbook has an alchemizing effect on Buffalo '66. The illusion of fluidity in a static art is enacted. The second ending, the one where Billy's reality turns out to be his imagination, becomes the narrative equivalent of a Hail Mary. With Pat helming the quarterback position, he throws A Farewell to Arms through the window, through time, like a football. He then goes into his parents' room and complains about Ernest Hemingway, yelling, "Can't anybody say: Hey, let's be positive? Let's have a good ending to this story?" Billy hears the audible. Outside the nudie bar, he flings his gun into the darkness: a farewell to arms. Because of Tiffany, excelsior becomes his catchword, too. Layla is his silver lining.… Expand

The main reason to watch Silver Linings Playbook is for the performances, particularly the two leads who have terrific chemistry. Bradley Cooper ventures out of his comfort zone and actually has to act instead of coasting by on his looks and Jennifer Lawrence is superb as usual. The two of them manage to hide a lot the movies flaws including it's third act problems as well as its reluctance to deal with mental illness in any meaningful fashion.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Silver Linings Playbook is a fun movie, with the usual compromises that touchy-feely family comedies have, especially when mixed with a heavy amount of clinical disfunctionalism.
Most of the casting was fine, the script and work of the cast drew us in to the characters and the semi-plausible tale will bring tears to the eyes of the optimists in the audience.
There was a little too much psychosis for me, but it was a fun two hours and the ending didn't disappoint.… Expand

Jennifer Lawrence has arrived. If the Hunger Games did not catapult her to the top Silver Linings Playbook does. All of us in America come from a dysfunctional family. So what? DeNiro is a scream as a die hard Philadelphia Eagle fan. This movie is totally worthy of all the accolades it has received. Definitely worth the price of admission. Go see and enjoy.

It's no "Ordinary People," but I really enjoyed both the drama and comedy of this film about people just trying to survive in their different ways. And the fact that a competent cast managed to do the job in a mere two hours! Know it's not a "blockbuster," but it's less preachy than "Lincoln," doesn't embellish a real story like "Argo," is more relatable than "Zero," and has a soundtrack that's more enjoyable than 99 percent of the music in "Les Mis." Puzzled, though, by the Oscar nom for Jacki Weaver. She picks the son up at the hospital and that's about it -- kind of a zero compared with (say) Melissa Leo as the mom in "The Fighter."… Expand

I love movies like this because it reflects just how messed up life can be sometimes. You may mess up and not get a second chance, so move on; improve yourself.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play off each other wonderfully, both representing broken people who have had their lives completely drained by a previous episode. Robert De Niro is wonderful as the OCD father and the film really does ride the line of comedy and drama well. The most surprising part is how it got me rooting for the main characters, a rare-feat these days.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of character-driven movies.… Expand

One of the most unique, clever, and charming films I've seen from 2012! The film exceeded my expectations in every way possible! The acting was absolutely sensational! This film will no doubt in my mind be Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's career booster. De Niro was perfect as the film's comic relief. Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker also deliver worthwhile performances. The film's story is absolutely perfect! The dialogue from the characters is very clever and often times rather humorous. There were some instances where the film seemed confused about what it was(comedy, drama, romance, etc.) However, the film was able to maintain a perfect balance of all three for the most part. So that extremely minor flaw can thankfully be overlooked. Overall, it's definitely one of the best movies I've seen all year! It's a movie that will definitely make you laugh, cheer, and maybe even cry. It's also bound to stay with you in spirit long after it's over!… Expand

A truly adorable, engaging and uplifting romantic comedy that manages to steer away from the conventional and reminds us that in order to get it right in this genre it requires both a solid script, a good director, but most of all chemistry between the leads: Lawrence has proven her self before, but Cooper is just such a revelation in a very challenging role. Recommended feel good film of the year.… Expand

As the movie begins, Bradley Cooper is released from a mental facility where he was sentenced after a violent incident. He returns home to his parents (De Niro's his dad) and tries to get his demons under control. It's not long til he meets his unstable soulmate (Jennifer Lawrence) and the knotty relationship develops. This is not a punchline script: The humor comes from the characters and their unwieldy interactions. Expect more quiet chuckles than outright laughter. Performances are uniformly strong (great to see Chris Tucker) with Lawrence adding to her short list of impressive characters. If you enjoy watching emotional outbursts and frantic family arguments, you may find this film entertaining. I was never bored, but never captivated either.… Expand

This is a most enjoyable, convincing, thoughtful and true to life comedy/drama/romance about a dysfunctional family. There's an excellent screenplay, direction and four strong acting performances in this film. Jennifer Lawrence's performance is especially impressive.

I loved this film. A perfect balance between humor, drama, and quirkiness. I thought the chemistry between Pat and Tiffany was through the roof. The acting and writing are excellent throughout. David O. Russell seems to be one of those directors that gets superb performances by the entire cast. "I made crabbie snacks and homemades!". I laughed every time his mother said it. Pat and Tiffany's discussion about all the meds they've taken was hilarious. I laughed a lot during the film and was rooting for these two to get together right from the start. The best romantic comedy I've seen in years. This movie and "Life of Pi" are the best two films I've seen this year. Oh - I also really enjoyed the music selection for the film as well.… Expand

For me, this film worked at every level. It's funny, sad, tragic, compelling, screwed up and absolutely entertaining. Not a dull moment here and it's not even an action movie! Cooper + Lawrence are beautiful together and believable.

This is a comedy of category A, this love story between 2 people with mental health problems makes that the Viewer is love, at a certain point no I thought it was the best movie of the year, but if offers the best deal with the best performances of the year, mainly Lawrence, Cooper and De Niro.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Please why does a movie that sucks so bad get an 8.2 score here From the very first scene you can tell that even Bradley Cooper doesn't know if this is a comedy or a drama. Bipolar my butt. He looks like an NFL quarterback, that is the shape he is in. The script is just beyond awful. And why did they throw Robert DeNiro into the mix Anyone who has ever seen a father and a son together know that they don't act like that...unless...it is a comedy, which it isn't. The ADD style of this movie and the constant babbling of everybody involved really go on your nerves after 7.5 minutes. I seriously start to doubt the ratings on here. I am pretty sure that Hollywood has an entire army of people who do nothing but rate up movies on sites like this one.
And yes, why exactly WAS he wearing that modified garbage bag while running It was not even funny...… Expand

The greatest date movie I've seen in years, or ever. Funny, sad, serious, everything. Plus, if you have any experiences with the subject matter you will have a lot to relate to. A couple unrealistic issues are no big deal to anyone except the annoying self-righteous types.

I really enjoyed this film. The comedy never gets in the way of the drama and vice versa. The performances are all solid. There are several actors you don't see in movies too often anymore and it is pleasant to see them again.

Incredible movie. Cooper and Lawrence could both be up for an Oscar for this puppy. The development of Cooper's character is given with care and validity. My only gripe is the betting of the football game and dance. That seemed a little cliche.

If you had a "Rom Com" written by John Cassevetes and Woody Allen with the football part of " Saturday Night Lights" - mixing in the dance Scene from " Saturday Night Fever" but with a few Double Vodkas thrown in; - quickly You might get a glimmer of how brilliant this very small film is. Loved the Dinner scene, the Diner Scene & Bradley Cooper nails it. Go ! The Acting on a scale of 1- 10 is a Fifty.… Expand

A roller coaster ride of a movie with emotions swinging from teary eyed seriousness to laugh out loud moments. Every character was well played and especially good performances from Cooper and Lawrence.

Touching movie about life twists, when human tracks reassemble and diverge, beyond control. Pat (Bradley Cooper) is discharged from a mental institution after eight months supervision for beating his wife lover. He accidentally meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) a widower who lost her job after being engaged in sexual relationships with her colleagues following her husband sudden death. Both are back to their parents home, starting all over, trying to rehabilitate and reconcile with their families and new life. Pat is obsessed by regaining his wife, seeks the help of Tiffany in exchange of participating with her in a dance contest. This line goes with Pat father (Roberto De Nero) trying to win a gamble to own a restaurant if his team Philadelphia Eagles wins along with Pat and Tiffany scoring 5 of 10 in the contest. Pat hardly sought love for his wife is diverted to Tiffany at the last ten minutes of this two hours movie. They got the 5 out of 10 in the dance contest, Philadelphia Eagles wins, Pat father gets the restaurant. Happy finale, for a well crafted scenario, acting, and directing, from the whole team, no one is exempted from the credit. Life is not what's expected or anticipated, human feelings are not stereotyped, a must see movie that won't let you bored.… Expand

Good performances. But very flawed and lots of lazy writing and direction. The scene were the "big bet" is so damn contrived and illogical that it's embarrassing and ruined everything they'd built in the first two acts. And it's freaking illogical. Anyone, especially a bookie knows a double or nothing bet is not a big deal, you just have to make another bet at the same number. You don't need to parlay it or give more points. Lazy lazy lazy.

I also like when Jennifer is listing the scores of the games she was with Cooper ... she mentions the Eagles beating the Seahawks 14-7. Well, they'd said earlier in the film that the Eagles were BEATING the Seahawks 27-10. WTF. How freaking lazy. There's also a scene where Jennifer is taping Cooper's shoe's with duct tape. But in the shot RIGHT BEFORE that his shoes ARE ALREADY TAPED. Lazy.… Expand

Such great dialogue that it deserves an Oscar - and makes you realize how starved you are for intelligent dialogue in movies. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have surprisingly good chemistry and this helps you overcome the desire to (occasionally) slap them silly.

The first two-thirds of the film were pretty great. I was enjoying the acting and the storyline. But then someone decided it was a good idea to throw a ridiculous, moronic bet into the plot and the film kind of falls apart, devolving into a generic (but admittedly sweet) rom-com ending. Worst of all, there was just no need for the goofy bet; the film was going to be fine without it. I give a lot of credit to the actors, then, for making the whole affair watchable anyway. Cooper and Lawrence do their best work ever here, and De Niro and Tucker get their best roles in years.… Expand

The acting of all the principles was well done and the dialog was mostly fine, however, this film did not really "grab" me as I expected, especially after hagving seen "The Fighter" by the same director. Individuals who are part of the mental health world presumably will get more out of this story. Watching the film, I kept veering between wanting to really like it, but then feelings of "who really cares" would intrude. I think Bradley Cooper is terrific but some of his acting verged on histrionics. I thought Jennifer Lawrence was better. And Robert Deniro's part just did not really add to making this a "ten" film movie. He is so much better than his role in this movie. Go to see it, but don't expect "great".… Expand

This movie had me smiling all the way through. All the characters are full of life and energy. They're all a little crazy, even the sane ones, and I think that describes us all.

I have to say, this film slightly overstepped the mark of emotion, overdoing it with brash confidence after assuming that this is what the audience came for. The comedy was perfectly balanced, though, and with the addition of people like Robert De Niro, I got what I came for. The drama was edgy alongside its more or less light-hearted comedy, without any conflict and a little spirit. However, despite the difference of its less formulaic storyline from other dramedies, many of the scenes did not gel and I still left the cinema with a whole bunch of unanswered questions.… Expand