BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I don’t think the people marketing Silver Linings Playbook did their job. They put about a million and half ads in front of people and told them they HAD to see it. Then the Oscars came around and everyone involved seemed to be nominated for something. Then once you DO watch it, you’re mind is blown. The commercials and the buzz about it made it seem like a different movie. I don’t know what my expectations were, but I’m safe to assume I’m not the only person who went into this movie not expecting what we were given. Maybe THAT is the magic of their marketing. The “bait-and-switch” is plentiful in this case, but the bait is switched out with a damn good movie, one of the best of the year. Because of how surprised I was with this movie’s plot, storyline, and tone I don’t really want to review that aspect. Bradley Cooper stars as a dude who goes through some shit and has to deal with it. In the process he has to deal with others, family and a new friend, while solving a big problem or two. I really can’t properly describe it. I like to refer to movies like this as a “human nature movie”. It doesn’t rely on any gimmicks, special effects, period pieces, or anything other than relatable and conventional situations and personality types. Woody Allen is great at those kinds of movies. David O Russell proves he’s more than capable as well with this one. His direction has the sharp grit of an indie, but the distance of a classic. It was a very easy movie to get caught up in. The story is deep and understandable. The characters are people we all know. The acting was kick ass. I know Jennifer Lawrence got the Oscar, and rightfully so, but Bradley Cooper would have gotten his too in any other non-Daniel Day-Lewis year for this. On top of that Robert De Niro showed up ready to play this time. I’m not going to lie. I’ve grown tired of De Niro. Call me crazy, but he’s become a little too one dimensional in terms of his characters. In this movie he’s not Robert De Niro, he’s actually lost in the character. It was a really impressive performance for sure and a reminder that he is one of the best of all time. This is a movie that came out of nowhere and got tons of buzz. Often they’ll be a flavor of the week and be forgotten in no time. I don’t feel that’s the case with this movie. Because of its odd promotion and hard to describe qualities, I have a feeling people are going to catch this movie randomly and fall in love with it themselves. Don’t be left out on this. I know it doesn’t seem like it would be THAT good, but it is. Watch it and see! A-
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