Silver Linings Playbook

[aud19]

Watched this last night with the wife and enjoyed it. It does start off... weird, I guess is the best way to put it. The first 1/2 hour or so is almost hard/uncomfortable to watch but Bradley Cooper does a good job of getting you to route for him despite his "issues". De Niro does his usual excellent work as the flawed but caring father and the empathy created by the poor mother (Jacki Weaver) trying to just hold everyone together was palpable. Jennifer Lawrence also did an excellent job adding dimension to her damaged and vulnerable character and the dancing scenes with her certainly gave me a new appreciation of her *ahem* physical attributes as well.

That said there was one aspect that bothered and stuck with me. Without hopefully giving too much away, towards the end there's a conspiring scene between a few characters that had me questioning how/why so many seemed to be artificially pushing the romantic leads together. Perhaps I missed something but it seemed like there was a touch of missing back story and/or explanation to me.

Otherwise I'd say weird but wonderful :35: out of :5:

[George Bellefontaine]

Without hopefully giving too much away, towards the end there's a conspiring scene between a few characters that had me questioning how/why so many seemed to be artificially pushing the romantic leads together. Perhaps I missed something but it seemed like there was a touch of missing back story and/or explanation to me.

I think everyone who cared about Cooper wanted him to get past the breakup with his wife. His bipolar condition, combined with an unfaithful wife, was certainly a toxic situation to say the least. That's how I saw it, anyway, Jason.
I liked the film and felt it did a lot to bring attention to mental health issues.
And, oh yeah, Jennifer was certainly easy on the eyes.
I would give it a bit more than you did: I'd go 4 out of 5 stars.

[wkhanna]

In a moment of reprieve & sense of humanity, The Wife substituted the normal waterboarding session with a ‘date night’ mutual viewing of this film. After having seen the trailer, I momentarily considered requesting the waterboarding instead.

In the end, I am compelled to admit I was gleefully surprised by a ‘chick flic’ with actual depth interspersed with occasions of intelligent humor, decent script & worthwhile acting.

Of course, De Niro does much to buoy this potential boat of stone & make easily bearable the entire experience.

It is good to see mental sufferings portrayed as the treatable disease it is by a mainstream Hollywood film. It is a challenge faced within our own family. However, the only moral I found in this story was; “it ain’t easy being a guy, ‘specially in Philly”.

Far better than enhanced interrogation.
Honestly though, I can not confess to any more than :3: max

[George Bellefontaine]

I saw it a bit more than a chick flick, Bill, probably because of the mental health theme and how those issues can make life difficult for everyone involved.

BWT: don't mean to hijack this thread, Bill, but what the hell happened to my boy Sid and the rest of the Pens ???

[Chris D]

I find it really strange, the "morbid" fascination that Hollywood and America (and the rest of the world?) has had with mental illness. Older movies like Psycho and Streetcar Named Desire showed mental illness like, "look how interesting and exotic this is!" I think it's because those things just weren't talked about before. So many movies were just about somebody that was mentally ill, and that WAS the story, not just an element of a much bigger story. Nowadays, I watch those films and think "geez... this is lame. They just used that plot device as a crutch, not telling an actual story." It's like making a movie just showing a train wreck. Yeah, people will watch, but you go back later and watch it again, and there's no bigger plot to it, so it falls flat once the novelty fascination wears off.

(note: to be fair, although I do feel that Hitchcock also uses mental illness a little bit as a crutch in "Psycho", there are obvious masterful aspects to the film, and he does indeed weave a bigger plot)

I've added this one to my Netflix queue. And yes... I do find Jennifer yummy.

[aud19]

I think everyone who cared about Cooper wanted him to get past the breakup with his wife. His bipolar condition, combined with an unfaithful wife, was certainly a toxic situation to say the least. That's how I saw it, anyway, Jason.

Yeah I get that, I guess it just seemed like everyone was forcing it a bit IMO and why anyone would think "hey, let's throw these two DEEPLY troubled people together and hope for the best" is beyond me. I mean in reality, forcing two people with those issues together could just as (if not more) likely end up being a DISASTER. For me it's a flaw in an otherwise interesting and well directed and acted tale.

[aud19]

And yeah, WTH is going on with the Pens?! I mean down 2-0 in the series and 6-1 last night?!!?!8O

[wkhanna]

Trust me guys, we are all slack-jawed around here right now.
The B's defense appears to have our number, .....that number being among other things the one on Sid's back.
It is not just Sid, though.
Poor puck control & defensive miss queues along with less than stellar net minding are not helping.
The bottom line is that Boston is simply playing better at the fundamentals of the game.
No excuses.

[aud19]

Trust me guys, we are all slack-jawed around here right now.
Poor puck control & defensive miss queues along with less than stellar net minding are not helping.

We've got an all-star goalie for sale if y'all are interested for next season

[wkhanna]

:W

We've got an all-star goalie for sale if y'all are interested for next season

Ha Haaa !

I don't know......Luongo does not have a glass jaw, does he?

You know, we are sensitive to that around here.

[George Bellefontaine]

Now that looked like a GOOD hockey game, Bill.

[wkhanna]

IIRC, we lost that game but it was still my favorite game of last season.

Well, tonight we find out if the nightmare will continue.......

I already had superstitious concerns about Yager..........

Last year he hurt us bad during our loss in the first round against Phlly....

This year, while he may not have any goals in this series, he has too many assists & always seems to be at the right place on the ice both offensively & defensively. He may not have the legs he once had as younger player, but the guy knows how to play the game, where the best place to be on the ice is & how to still make a difference.

[George Bellefontaine]

Yager is one of those guys who can think the game and that makes him dangerous anytime he's on the ice.

[Ovation]

Ahem…any true Pens fan would know it's Jagr. :lol:

Anyway, I don't care so much the Pens are losing the series, per se, but do they have to lose to the !@#!@$@#%@# BRUINS!!!!! :M

[aud19]

I think we're all united in our dislike of the Bruins :lol:

[Chris D]

I'll say it again. Just anybody but the Red Wings.

[Kevin D]

BWT: don't mean to hijack this thread, Bill, but what the hell happened to my boy Sid and the rest of the Pens ???

I think you failed at that George...

Kevin D.

[wkhanna]

I guess Kevin does not know Sir George is changing the forum title to "DVD & Hockey Director". :W


Any way, I've been doing some calculations..........

It is 23 days till the 'Tour de France' & 3 days till the F1 of Montreal........

Otherwise, no other sports on the recent horizon for me....:cry:



It appears Boston is destined as I swear for a brief moment during last night's game the 'cloaking device' malfunctioned & I could actually see the force field that the Hockey gods put up around their goal.

No Cup for the Pens this year either, but the final showdown should provide good entertainment.
I just don't know if I'll be able to bear to watch it.

[George Bellefontaine]

Anyway, I don't care so much the Pens are losing the series, per se, but do they have to lose to the !@#!@$@#%@# BRUINS!!!!! :M

Heh, heh !!!!

Bill, don't even suggest the DVD an d HOCKEY DIRECTOR, as it is Doug will probably fire me for hijacking poor Jason's thread.

[aud19]

Jason doesn't mind :

For the record, I'd say my 2011, injury riddled Canucks put up a better fight than the Pen's are this year...and the Pen's with all that fire power! I was really hoping Iggy could pull off the "Ray Bourque" and win it all this year... :/

[Ovation]

Nah. Besides, Bourque had to wait another season. Iggy can too.

[Chris D]

Going back to the original post here, I watched this last night, and enjoyed it. I'll echo the same thoughts as most people here. Something that hasn't been mentioned, though, is that I did find the film at multiple points falling into the portrayal of mental illness as being "quirky" and "cute", as it is in several other films. Certainly, in this one, though, it was offset by the violent and abusive scenes also contained in the film. In the sense of a movie, I can see how this is needed to break up the emotional pacing of the film. (have you ever sat through en entire movie of tension and depression? It's emotionally exhausting and not fun) But the effect I think, is to provide an inaccurate view of mental problems, which ARE draining and non-stop work for everyone around them.

Jason, I also had questions about the same issue, whether and how the two protaganists were being pushed together, and then how that tied in with some of the same characters also bringing the ex-wife to the dance competition.

Definitely agreed, that Jennifer is yummy, particularly in the dance competition.

Haven't seen it mentioned, (perhaps because it's just assumed and taken for granted nowadays) but I also thought DeNiro did a wonderful job as the dad with OCD. The mother was also well acted. Heck, I was even surprised to see Chris Tucker, and with the job he did.

Overall, I give it :35: out of :5:

[aud19]

Haven't seen it mentioned, (perhaps because it's just assumed and taken for granted nowadays) but I also thought DeNiro did a wonderful job as the dad with OCD. The mother was also well acted. Heck, I was even surprised to see Chris Tucker, and with the job he did.

Overall, I give it :35: out of :5:

De Niro does his usual excellent work as the flawed but caring father and the empathy created by the poor mother (Jacki Weaver) trying to just hold everyone together was palpable.

Agree Tucker did a great job as well

[Chris D]

Ah, there ya go!

I'm getting senile.