Two things really hit me hard watching David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. First, it was fantastic seeing Robert De Niro back in top form again. I'm sick and tired of seeing him in movies that fail to take advantage of his talents. And, second, Silver Linings Playbook is one of the most kinetic family dramas that I have ever seen. In stark contrast to most films that I've seen centering around serious family dynamics, Russell frequently uses hand-held cameras, lightning editing, and prominent camera movements. Russell seems to work best when dealing with violent stories and characters (think Three Kings [1999] and The Fighter [2010]) and Silver Linings Playbook, a film about Pat Solitano Jr., an adult mental patient who moves back in with his parents after a prolonged stay in a mental health facility, is as violent as they come. During his recovery, he meets and falls in love with another mental malcontent named Tiffany Maxwell who suffers from acute nymphomania. Tiffany convinces Pat to be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. However, Pat's father, played by De Niro, has bet all his money on an upcoming Eagles game on the same night and is convinced that they will lose if Pat doesn't watch it with him. So, as you can imagine, things get heated, violent, loud, and ugly. But at its center, Silver Linings Playbook is a film about healing. You just have to wade through a lot of nastiness to get to it.
7/10
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