Forecast bright in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

The word excelsior in the dictionary is defined as ‘higher’or 'more elevated' and in the film ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ it is described as the act of thinking positive and looking for the silver lining in everything. Pat Solitano (portrayed by Bradley Cooper) is struggling to cope with the fact that his marriage is over. The film opens with Pat in a mental institution and his mother picking him up and finally bringing him home after being away for eight months. Pat suffers from bipolar disorder and mood swings. He walked in on his wife having an affair and nearly beat her lover to death, thus forcing him to be put into a mental hospital and to learn that in every negative situation there is always a silver lining. When Pat returns home, he moves back in with his parents and is obsessed with reuniting with his wife Nikki, although she has a restraining order against him. Life for Pat begins to change when he meets Tiffany (portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious young woman with similar problems of her own.

The acting in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ is remarkable. Bradley Cooper has come such a long way since his role as the jerk fiancé Sack in ‘Wedding Crashers.’ His portrayal of a man with a serious mental illness was extremely believable. He was brilliant, there are a number of scenes where his character is literally going crazy, but his approach to the role was a little more subtle and realistic. His character, Pat, is obsessed with reconnecting with his wife and struggling to make things right. Tiffany declares that she will help him connect to his wife if he helps her on a project. Pat agrees and an unlikely bond forms between the two sad, lonely problematic friends. Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Tiffany, she brings so much emotion to her roles and even when she is being a horrible person she still appears likable. Two time Academy Award winning actor Robert Deniro plays Pat’s father, Pat Sr. he too has some sort of mental illness because he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and mood swings that caused him to be kicked out of so many Philadelphia Eagles games that he is banned from the stadium. Deniro proves that he is still one of the greatest actors of all time as the loving, caring, protective father. He has a beautiful scene with Cooper, where he begins to breakdown and cry that he just wants to watch a football game with his son and the scene is touching and heartwarming. Deniro brings a certain kind of emotion to the screen, when he performs. His presence on screen creates audiences to always be on the edge of their seat waiting for his greatness to shine, and this film, Deniro shines but not as bright as Cooper.

‘Silver Linings Playbook’ is recommended for anyone who enjoys films with romance, comedy, drama, and the thought that everything happens for a reason. Also recommended to anyone that believes that no matter how hard life gets, sometimes finding the silver lining can help overcome difficulties and see a different and possibly better side of life.The film is based off a novel by the same name written by Matthew Quick. It depicts the life of one man who must overcome difficult obstacles in order to move on with his life and start anew.