RBR (Redbox review): Silver Linings Playbook

For a film who's central character is dealing with mental illness, I felt like I was suffering from bi-polar disorder while I watched. You go through some extreme feelings as the movie unfolds, which in my case left me uncertain of how to exactly review this film. We'll begin with the movie's premise; a young man (Bradley Cooper) who's been recently released from a mental institution after witnessing his wife having an affair, tries to put the pieces of his life back together by dealing with his family's fandom of the Philadelphia Eagles and starting up a friendship with a young woman who seems to be just as unstable as he is. And of course, the film's climax involves ballroom dancing. WHAT?!? On paper, this story should not work at all. And yet, it does, thanks largely to the strong performances by the film's cast. Those performances though, can also be a source of frustration. Take for instance, Jennifer Lawrence who plays the unstable woman Cooper befriends. From a casting perspective, she seems all wrong to play this loose, morose widow. However, her performance is so engaging you stop thinking that she shouldn't be in this movie. There are several other elements about both how this film was made and the story it told that I kept wanting to alter. And yet, at each point the film wore me down with its charm and moxie. I stopped caring about its weak depiction of mental illness or the nonsensical bet that the story's climax hinges on and just enjoyed being around these characters. I'm not convinced that this is a good movie and yet it somehow feels wrong to harshly critique it. It's success both at the box office and during the awards season is proof that I'm not the only one who felt that way. If you've resisted seeing this movie thus far, stop fighting it and give it a watch. It's one of those "four-quadrant" movies that offers something for all people - young and old, men and women. It's likely you'll enjoy the viewing experience. Just don't go crazy like I did trying to figure out why you liked it because there is seemingly no good answer. Rating: ****