Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers:

David O. Russell (screenplay), Matthew Quick (novel)

Stars:

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro

Won 1 Oscar. Another 60 wins & 71 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bradley Cooper	...	Pat
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Tiffany
Robert De Niro	...	Pat Sr.
Jacki Weaver	...	Dolores
Chris Tucker	...	Danny
Anupam Kher	...	Dr. Cliff Patel
John Ortiz	...	Ronnie
Shea Whigham	...	Jake
Julia Stiles	...	Veronica
Paul Herman	...	Randy
Dash Mihok	...	Officer Keogh
Matthew Russell	...	Ricky D'Angelo
Cheryl Williams	...	Tiffany's Mother
Patrick McDade	...	Tiffany's Father
Brea Bee	...	Nikki

Storyline

Against medical advice and without the knowledge of her husband Pat Solatano Sr., caring Dolores Solatano discharges her adult son, Pat Solatano Jr., from a Maryland mental health institution after his minimum eight month court ordered stint. The condition of the release includes Pat Jr. moving back in with his parents in their Philadelphia home. Although Pat Jr.'s institutionalization was due to him beating up the lover of his wife Nikki, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Nikki has since left him and has received a restraining order against him. Although he is on medication (which he doesn't take because of the way it makes him feel) and has mandatory therapy sessions, Pat Jr. feels like he can manage on the outside solely by healthy living and looking for the "silver linings" in his life. His goals are to get his old job back as a substitute teacher, but more importantly reunite with Nikki. He finds there are certain instances where he doesn't cope well, however no less so ...

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Plot Keywords:

bipolar disorder | philadelphia eagles | restraining order | beating | letter | 

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Taglines:

Watch for the signs

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happiness Therapy

Filming Locations:

Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$443,003 (USA) (16 November 2012)

Gross:

$132,088,910 (USA) (31 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Weinstein Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During an interview with the National Public Radio program "Weekend Edition Sunday," Jacki Weaver said that David O. Russell gave her and Robert De Niro a back-story for their characters that included the fact that even though they had been married for thirty years, they still make love twice a week.

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Goofs

During one of the Eagles games early in the movie, it is said the Eagles are beating the Seahawks 27-10. Later in the movie as Jennifer Lawrence is reciting all of the good results since she and Bradley Cooper have been together, she mentions the Eagles beat the Seahawks 14-7. The Eagles actually won that game 26-7.

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Quotes

Pat: Hey, my friend Ronnie is having this party on Sunday night and it's like a real hoity-toity thing. And his wife Veronica is a real stickler for... I don't know. My mom got this Gap outfit she wants me to wear, but I want to wear a jersey that my brother Jake got me from the Eagles
Dr. Cliff Patel: Which jersey?
Pat: DeSean Jackson.
Dr. Cliff Patel: DeSean Jackson is the man.
Pat: Well, that settles that.

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Connections

References West Side Story (1961)

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Soundtracks

"Popeye's Clog"
Written by Evan Lurie
Performed by Evan Lurie

User Reviews

Silver Linings Playbook is a refreshing addition to the rom com genre

While most romantic comedies usually contain bad acting, sappiness, and a large amount of predictable moments; Silver Linings Playbook is the exact opposite. There may be a little amount sappiness in this movie but there is bound to be some in any romantic situations. In reality though, all of the sap in Silver Linings Playbook can be overlooked due to the fact that the film is completely original, extremely funny, and contains outstanding acting from the two lead roles.

Written and directed by David O. Russell (The Fighter), Silver Linings Playbook is about a man, played by Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The Hangover), who was just released from an eight month stint in a psychiatric hospital. He wants to get his life back on track but is being held back by his parents and his unstable condition. After a little while, he strikes up an interesting friendship with a female played by Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, The Hunger Games). Both of these characters are going through somewhat of the same type of problems which makes their friendship even more quirky and thought-provoking.

Because a large amount of romantic comedies are stale and overdone, Silver Linings Playbook is a breath of fresh air. Usually movies in this genre follow a very particular road map that entails: man is at rock bottom but then finds the perfect girl. After a while, man loses girl and must win girl back in a very cliché and unrealistic fashion. What's original about Silver Linings Playbook is that it doesn't follow that mediocre story line in the slightest making it unpredictable but at the same time, more relateable. Chris Tucker is in this movie and even he isn't predictable. Chris Tucker, the loud-mouthed actor who hasn't been in a film without the words 'Rush Hour' in the title for almost 15 years, was surprisingly mellow. Even though he was mellow, he was still very comedic and played a great role in the film.

The most surprising aspect of Silver Linings Playbook, however, was the performance of Bradley Cooper. Even though this is a comedy, Cooper plays what is maybe one of the most serious roles he's ever performed. After audience members witness his work in this film, there shouldn't be any more doubt if the man can act or not. Silver Linings Playbook is without a doubt Cooper's best work thus far in his career. Jennifer Lawrence has a performance of equal caliber but that is expected from the young Academy Award nominated actress. What was surprising about Lawrence's role in the movie, was how adult it was. Fans of Lawrence's work may have been worried that she would be stuck in teenage roles after playing the character Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, but she should silence those doubts after this film with a very adult, yet professional, performance.

Silver Linings Playbook is full of creativity and minimal on romance clichés. It is hands down one of the best romantic comedies to be made within the last couple of years. This film contains many laugh out loud moments and a number of scenes that will warm your heart to the point where you can't help but leave the theater smiling. Silver Linings Playbook is the perfect date movie that both men and women can easily enjoy. A-