SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK REVIEW

Everyone has quirks that make him or her an individual. We filter through life, attempting to seamlessly weave our oddities into a “normal” person. As difficult as trying to fit circles into squares, the silver lining in these valiant attempts is that the “normal” person doesn’t exist. That is what writer-director David O. Russell understood when making The Silver Linings Playbook, The film is a fantastic study in how our individual quirks, though varying in degree, have the ability to render all of us completely insane.

The film focuses on disgraced former schoolteacher Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) as he attempts to reinvent himself using life’s silver linings. The film begins when Solitano is …show more content…

Cooper’s tears are heartbreaking when he realizes he is hurting his father. The notion he has become a monster connects with audiences as they too acknowledge that sometimes it is those you love the most who expose your worst qualities.

Though the relationship between father and son is incredibly accurate, the subtleness of De Neiro’s gambling addiction is a little farfetched. As a middle class family, there is no way that Solitano Sr’s addiction would not have been addressed financially. There is indication the addition is withstanding, but it is viewed humorlessly instead of as the one quirk that could be the family’s undoing. In fact, when coupled with his OCD it nearly does destroy the family. Solitano Sr’s belief that Pat is the “ju-ju” that keeps the Eagles winning (and his gambling debts from amounting) forces Pat to choose between Tiffany and his father. Tiffany, in part of the film’s ability to mock itself, has devised a plan to trick Pat into joining a ridiculously unrealistic dance competition with her in return for smuggling a letter to his ex-wife. However, a run in with the law and Solitano Sr’s control issues nearly destroy Pat and Tiffany’s burgeoning relationship. This is the crux of the film; the moment when Pat must reconcile is new relationship with his past. Caught between a rock and a hard place, it is Tiffany who proves to be Pat’s ultimate silver lining. She not only convinces Solitano Sr. that his addition is foolish, but that if it must