Silver Lining Playbook (***1/2 out of ****)

Director David O. Russell often knows how to breath life into a stale genre. Three Kings was a fresh take on War films, Flirting with Disaster felt like a bigger movie than just a typical comedy, and The Fighter was one of the few great Sport movies in recent memory. It's not an unusual choice for O. Russell to want to do a romantic comedy with his track record. The director always decides to film difficult and challenging characters and Silver Lining Playbook is no exception to that trend. It's a mini wonder of a film that does something that seems easy in theory but harder in practice. The film gets better as it goes along.

Pat (Bradley Cooper in his best performance to date) has just been released from a mental institution. He was sent here after a violent outburst which led to the court/doctors label him with a form Bipolar Disorder. He's feeling positive now and is looking to get his wife back. Pat's father (Robert De Niro's best performance in years) is an Philadelphia Eagles fanatic who pressures his son do make the decisions he wants. His mother (Jacki Weaver) of course just wants her son to not get in trouble. Pat may be a free man again but his behavior is still erratic. These actions along with the actions of nearly all the characters is off putting at first. Of course it will be a struggle for the characters to reach their full potential, but the initial impression of these people makes it seem like it will be impossible. Yet maybe that's part of the point. This is a film about average people trying to get some victory in an otherwise punishing life. The characters do become more likable as the film progresses and thus the story become more personal. The story progress when Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who may just be as messed up as him. They form and odd friendship as Pat helps Tiffany with a dance competition in exchange she will get a message to Pat's wife whom will not see him in person yet.

This rather simple movie is made kind of great by the people involved. David O. Russell has a strange kinetic nature to his film making here that keeps things flowing every so lovely. He works his magic on a few scenes that turn them from standard romantic comedy dribble to satisfying filmmaking. The actors all do great work but the show is stolen by Jennifer Lawrence. Only two years ago the young actress broke out with a tour de force performance in Winter's Bone. Such a different performance from her here but equally as mesmerizing. Silver Lining Playbook isn't joining the trend of ambitious or groundbreaking movie list this year. However it does nearly everything right for the kind of film it's trying to be.

***1/2 out of ****