Silver Linings Playbook: Crazy in Love

It's hard to describe Silver Linings Playbook. Most people have been classifying it as a romantic comedy and I suppose that's accurate even though it conjures up images of vapid romcoms that are mostly unwatchable. But Silver Linings Playbook deftly straddles the line between comedy and drama, with a funny, warm romance between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who have the difficult task of portraying two people who are dealing with mental illness but find a way to fall in love.

Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a man with bipolar disorder who has just been released from a mental institution after serving eight months of court-mandated treatment. He was forced to undergo treatment after he violently attacked a man that he discovered was sleeping with his wife. Now Pat is back home with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) and despite the restraining order, he wants to get back in touch with his wife and convince her that he's a changed man. His newfound philosophy is one of relentless optimism and finding the silver lining in every situation. Unfortunately, he refuses to take his meds, so he is still prone to episodes of mania and causes no end of trouble. But one night, his friend Ronnie invites him to dinner, where he meets Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence).

Tiffany was recently widowed and lost her job after sleeping with a bunch of people in her office to cope with her depression. She and Pat get along famously when discussing the various psychiatric medications they've tried, but their social awkwardness and bluntness mean that they antagonize each other a fair amount as well. After a series of bizarre conversations and chance encounters, Pat and Tiffany strike a deal - Tiffany will deliver a letter to Pat's wife, if Pat will be her partner for a dance competition she has always wanted to enter. Pat agrees to this somewhat unconventional arrangement in the hopes of winning his wife back. Naturally, things don't exactly work out as planned.

Silver Linings Playbook is a charming movie and apart from the engaging romance between Pat and Tiffany, there are hilarious side plots, including Pat's father's new bookmaking business, which culminates in a bet that depends on Pat doing well in the dance competition. De Niro puts in a moving performance as a taciturn Italian man who doesn't quite know how to communicate with his troubled son but eventually makes his genuine love and affection apparent. The wonderful Bollywood actor Anupam Kher (you may recognize him from Bend It Like Beckham) plays Dr. Patel, Pat's therapist who is serious and wise and later reveals a much more amusing side of his personality. And Cooper and Lawrence are fantastic as they dance their way into a strange romance and make you laugh despite their obviously difficult situations.

Director David O. Russell also wrote the screenplay (based on a novel by Matthew Quick) and he has managed to turn an unlikely subject into a warm, funny movie. Silver Linings Playbook doesn't shy away from the topic of mental illness but it refuses to let its characters despair in their situations either. Life goes on, and if you keep looking for the silver linings, you might just end up in an exuberant dance number with your bemused family cheering you on.