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 88 wins & 145 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 (as Patrick Mcdade)
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 | unhappy marriage | adulterous wife | reference to philadelphia eagles | family relationships | 

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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:

238 S. Madison Avenue, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$443,003, 18 November 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$132,092,958

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$236,412,453

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is a source of confusion for some, especially people not very familiar with idiomatic English. The "Silver Linings" part of the title comes from the common expression "every cloud has a silver lining", which means "look on the bright side" or "nothing is all bad". The first documented use of the phrase in this way is from John Milton's 1634 work "Comus I". A "Playbook" is a written or mental list of athletic strategies that a coach creates to guide a team through a game or a sport. So, in combination, the title refers to an arsenal of strategies for Pat to use while trying to look on the brighter side of life. Similar expressions were used in foreign releases, such as: "The Bright Side of Things", "The Bright Side of Life", or "Games of Destiny" (Spain and Latin America), "Optimistic Guide" (Greece), "Happiness Therapy" (France), "Positive Thinking" (Italy), "Guide for Ultimate Happiness" (Portugal), "My Light of Hope" (Turkey), and "Sunny Side" (Hungary) to name a few.

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Goofs

Before the waltz sequence, Pat goes to Tiffany's house and passes by her mother; the dim camera crew is reflected in the window.

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Quotes

Veronica: [Demonstrating the iPod player on the wall] I can play music for the baby in any room.
Pat: Can you play "Ride the Lightning" by Metallica?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

Featured in Jessie J: Silver Lining (Crazy 'Bout You) (2012)

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Soundtracks

Cesaroni's Tango
Written by Andrea Guerra
Performed by Andrea Guerra
Courtesy of IDM Music Ltd.
on behalf of Bixio and Cinevox Records Srl

User Reviews

You'd be crazy to miss this

Based on a novel by Matthew Quick, David O Russell has both written and directed this variation on the romantic comedy in which both main characters are deeply damaged and variably medicated.

Patrick used to be a teacher before he beat up a fellow teacher (he deserved it) and was diagnosed as bi-polar and confined to a mental institution for eight months. Tiffany used to be married to a cop who died in circumstances for which she feels blame and she has not been behaving as quietly and demurely as is expected of the newly bereaved. Both lead roles are played by attractive and talented young actors: Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") and Jennifer Lawrence ("The Hunger Games") and, by the time I caught up with the movie on DVD, Lawrence had been awarded a deserved Academy Award for Best Actress for this quirky performance.

One of the distinctive features of this wonderful film is that most of the characters are obsessive to one extent and in one form or another, most notably Pat's father who is charmingly portrayed by veteran Robert de Niro. At turns funny and poignant, this is at heart a plea for us to be tolerant of others because - let's face it - we're all a little crazy.