OMG, what a lavish, bewitching spectacle!
These tired, misty eyes have never before been held captive by such a celestial cast come together in a single movie.
Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Anupam Kher, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker and Bradley Cooper, all in one movie?
Eight Oscar nominations, four Golden Globe nominations (one win) and an outpouring of acclaim (91% on RT).
What more can a discerning member of the Homo Sapiens like yours truly yearn for.
Finally, on a cold Mid-Atlantic evening SI hotfooted to the theatre to feast on Silver Linings Playbook. Some 35-40 people in the theatre.
Oh, oh, set me in the ground softly now.
Yes, I can rest in peace.
For I’ve seen Silver Linings Playbook.
Remarkable Drama
Silver Linings Playbook is a simple family story and yet comes packed with great dramatic moments.
Set in my neighboring metro Philadelphia, the movie turns its lens for the most part on Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper in an Oscar worthy performance), lately released from a Baltimore mental hospital to which he’d been committed in a plea bargain deal after beating to pulp the guy he caught having sex with his wife Nikki under the shower.
Robert De Niro plays Pat Sr, the awesomely talented Jackie Weaver Pat Jr’s mother Dolores, and Chris Tucker is junior’s friend (and fellow inmate at the Baltimore mental hospital) Danny.
Above all, our great favorite and inamorata Jennifer Lawrence comes in the form of Tiffany, a recent widow, fired from her job and a recovering sex addict in therapy.
Despite the oh, ultimate betrayal of infidelity, Pat Jr obsessively loves his wife Nikki and desperately longs to reunite with her.
In one of the several interesting aspects of the movie, although Nikki is forever in the foreground we rarely ever see her clearly except at the very end during her unexpected arrival for the dance competition.
The acting by Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Anupam Kher is par excellence.
Oh, I’m crying.
Do drunks always cry?
So Many Rich Layers
Like all wonderful movies, Silver Linings Playbook has so many layers, all of them engrossing.
There’s the deeply affectionate mother Dolores who gets Pat released from the mental hospital without breathing a word to her husband Pat Sr (Robert De Niro).
Not a pipsqueak!
Believe me, kiddo!
Then there’s Robert De Niro’s Pat Sr with his NFL Eagles (WTF is Eagles?) obsessions, his superstitions on the TV remote controls, the lucky Jerseys etc, his bookmaking, his restaurant ambitions and his touching love for his ill son Pat Jr.
Danny, the crazy escapee! What can I say about Chris Tucker that’s not been penned before.
More than anything else, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), that volcano of talent, with her many alluring sub-dimensions.
Just in case you schmucks didn’t know, Jennifer has already won the Golden Globe Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook.
The movie crackles with brilliant dialogs (thanks to solid writing by David O. Russell) and never more so than in the diner.
The diner scene when Pat and Tiffany go on a dinner date is priceless for both the acting and the hilarious dialogs.
With its strong sexual overtones, the scene featuring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence reminded me of Meg Ryan’s famous orgasm in When Harry Met Sally but the one in Silver Linings Playbook is more subtle.
Do you like musik?
Do you, do you?
With tracks like Goodnight Moon (From Kill Bill), Silver Linings Playbook is is manna for the ears!
Jennifer Lawrence
To my devoted readers, SI’s fondness for the highly talented Jennifer Lawrence is no secret.
Long before the rest of the world discerned this young lass’ prodigious talent, I prophesied great things for her after seeing her awesome portrayal of young Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone at the Ritz 5 in Philadelphia.
In Silver Linings Playbook, Jennie proves that Winter’s Bone was no accident.
Indian Connection – Anupam Kher
Yes, our own, our very Brown Indian Anupam Kher has a role, albeit a small one, as Pat Jr’s psychiatrist Dr.Patel.
Compared to Anupam Kher, Indian stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan et al are buffoons.
No less.
Even in a small role, our endearing Dr.Cliff Patel leaves an impression..
I only wish Anupam’s role had been bigger.
There’s curry, there’s Ganesh, there’s a Sardarji and so much more. 😉
See the Movie, mothafuckas!
Strongly Recommended
Of course, I know my Indians are the most unschooled, barbaric savages to walk this planet.
And this bunch of non-stop breeders (1.3 billion, at last count) will run from anything with even a whiff of class in it.
Yet, I can’t help myself in strongly recommending Silver Linings Playbook to the Indian diaspora in the U.S..
Silver Linings Playbook is playing in a lot of theaters across America.
Silver Linings Playbook Review – I’ll Kill Myself If It Doesn’t Win At Least 2 Oscars added by SearchIndia.com on
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I really hope “J. Law”, De Niro, and David O. Russell win big at the Oscars.
But for best actor, I don’t think the great method of actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, has any competition in that department this year.
P.S. It’s bullshit that Kathryn Bigelow wasn’t nominated for best director (0Dark30)
Ithellam oru padam…athuku evalo periya build upu….orae appu appu…. (is this too a movie and such high praise…junk)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Your’re so right! What do Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Jennifer Lawrence, Anupam Kher etc know about acting or movies!
Don’t worry, Sweetie! I’ll have some reviews more appropriate to your taste in a couple of hours.
N.B.: You MUST write in English. You’re welcome to use the occasional Tamil phrase but you must provide English translation in brackets). This time I’ve provided the translation but the next time you post an entire comment in Tamil I’ll delete it.
SI: Your’re so right! What do Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Jennifer Lawrence, Anupam Kher etc know about acting or movies!
Very true! Vishaloda ‘navarasathukku’ evangalellam eedavaangala (Can they match Vishal’s ‘navarasa’)!? 😉
BTW, I am soooooooo glad ‘Argo’ won the best picture. I absolutely loved it and thought it was superbly made.
Also, did you watch Spielberg’s ‘reaction’ on Ang Lee being announced the winner? That really gave me a lotta kick (2nd time) 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. If Vishal died today, would anyone even notice?
2. Was too drunk on Oscar nite to focus on anything except Jennifer Lawrence.
3. Am back on my Korean movie trip again – watched another Korean film today.
Also saw trailer of New World, another Korean film. Releasing on March 22 here.
Hard to blog on a phone. 🙁
SI: Was too drunk on Oscar nite to focus on anything except Jennifer Lawrence.
I think there was a combo of telekinesis & telepathy going on between you and Jennifer Lawrence. 😉 You get drunk at one spot and she gets tipsy @ Kodak theater and trips. Look what you did to her! Aren’t you glad she delivered an Oscar acceptance speech without a bloody mouth? 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Aren’t you glad she delivered an Oscar acceptance speech without a bloody mouth?
A bloody mouth like the Joker’s smile?
Here’s the short, but brilliant, account of why the Joker’s always smiling – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wQXSd1Jbqc
I’m glad Jennifer didn’t end up with a bloody mouth because of that fall!
I liked her better in Winter’s Bone! She did get an Oscar nomination for that movie but lost out to I can’t remember who.
SI: Here’s the short, but brilliant, account of why the Joker’s always smiling
Amazing performance! — A role that eventually claimed his life. 🙁
I’d also recommend ‘Brokeback Mountain’ for his versatility. He got an Oscar nod for the lead.
SI: I liked her better in Winter’s Bone! She did get an Oscar nomination for that movie but lost out to I can’t remember who.
I agree. J Law was great in Winter’s Bone. But Natalie Portman won that year. I guess it had to with the amount strain she put in for that role. BTW, I didn’t like Black Swan.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Brokeback Mountain was a great movie!
Must watch it again!
Saw the movie yesterday. Jennifer Lawrence was bewitching. Her eyes, hair style, and more than anything else that husky voice – soooo captivating!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The angel is even better in Winter’s Bone.