Well, it's official, awards season campaigning has begun! You know what that means . . . time to start seeing all the movies! Though the Golden Globe Awards aren't until the end of January, the PR campaigns for Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress have already begun.
I like to see as many of the buzzed about movies as I can before the awards shows. It just makes it more fun. I started my tour of the potential nominees with "Silver Linings Playbook."
All I knew about the movie before sitting down in the theater was that Bradley Cooper plays a man who is recently released from a mental hospital and that he befriends a felllow misfit played by Jennifer Lawrence. I thought I was seeing a story of recovery and reinvention, but it turned out to be so much more than that.
Bradley Cooper, best known for his roles as the asshole fiancé in "Wedding Crashers" and the groomsman with a plan from "The Hangover," shows a shocking new level of depth with his character, Pat. Pat was hospitalized after finding his wife in a compromising position with another man and beating that man to a pulp. Literally.
We meet Pat on the day he is released from the hospital back into the care of his parents. His wife has left him, he lost his job and now he's living in the attic. Pat always seems immediately on the verge of exploding again. The pain and confusion you see in his eyes moves you to root for him. Bradley Cooper transformed into Pat completely. There was not a trace of frat boy anywhere on that screen.
Pat's first dinner with friends after he gets released is where he meets Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Tiffany was a promiscuous girl until she married a local cop. He passed away and she found herself retreating back to her old behavior to fill the void. She calls Pat on all his shit and is the only person not treating him like piece of glass that might shatter at any minute.
My favorite scene in the entire movie is when Pat's father (more on that later) tries to tell Tiffany that he's been losing all of his football bets since Pat stopped watching with him and started hanging out with her instead. Tiffany then proceeds to rattle off the score of every single football game that took place while she and Pat were hanging out on Sundays and offer her own theories for his losing bets. Everyone in our theater was so impressed that you could tell we all wanted to clap. If there is any scene that is going to win Jennifer Lawrence an Academy Award, that's it.
Pat's father is played by Robert De Niro who is the most brilliant he's been in years in this film. In the story he plays a bookie whose future depends on this season's bets. Nothing means more to him than the Philadelphia Eagles. His odd behaviors and rituals offer some of the funniest lines in the movie.
Jacki Weaver plays Pat's mom. She got him released from the hospital early and is doing everything she can to make him happy even though it's clear she's still afraid of him. She plays mother lion and nervous potential prey all at the same time.
I was tremendously impressed by Anupam Kher who plays Pat's therapist, Dr. Patel. He is the only person who hears Pat's true, uncensored feelings and he handles those insane conversations with grace and humor. He stole every one of his scenes.
Part of the magic of "Silver Linings Playbook" is the details. The way Pat's dad dresses for game day, the way Tiffany always wears her hair and the fact that Pat always runs with a garbage bag over his clothes. These idiosyncrasies create superb, round characters.
I attribute the overall tone and power of the film to writer and director David O. Russell who is also the creative mind behind "The Fighter." No one understands family dysfunction better than Russell. His movies are incredible because they are so honest and poignant.
I have many more movies to see before I can start making awards show predictions, but I'd definitely keep an eye on the "Silver Linings Playbook" and expect the movie to be a competitor in more than one category.
Did you see it? What did you think?
