Saw this yesterday.   Must say I was on the fence about this before going in because I thought "eh, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, going to be another generic rom-com."  Far from it.  This movie had some great character development and Cooper gives a solid performance.  This was probably De Niro's best work in awhile, IMO.  Most of his movies have been basically the same character over and over, but at least he gets to ACT in this film and stretch his character out some.

I will say that Jennifer Lawrence does a good job--I'm not sure she deserved the Golden Globe, but given the shallow pool of candidates in the comedy or musical category this year, I guess it's hard to argue who else might have deserved it (I'm not saying the others aren't good actresses--the roles just weren't the kind that make you go, "yeah, they really deserved it").

I was wondering if this movie was trying to be a comedy or a drama, and of course, because of that, it becomes a dramedy.  Some funny lines, but I think ultimately the drama itself overwhelms the comedic aspects.  The story itself is great and nicely paced right at 2 hours, although the ending is pretty much predictable and a little schmaltzy.  But hey--it's no Nicholas Sparks' film and for that I applaud David O. Russell!  I would really like to get my hands on that screenplay to see how it looks on paper.

I would give it about an 8.5 out of 10.  My wife would give it a 10 out of 10, but she loves schmaltzy.

I really wanted to see this the first time I saw the trailer.  I'm not a Cooper fan and not a Lawrence-fan either even though I've only seen her in one thing, but this did look like a great character piece and I usually get involved in those kind of stories.

I'll definitely give it a shot if the opportunity ever arises.

http://screenplayexplorer.com/wp-content/scripts/silver-linings-playbook.pdf

I haven't seen the movie either but I'll definitely give this script a read.  Comedy/dramas are a good combo IMO so hopefully the script lives up to the hype though I've heard different.

I had similar hesitations before going to see this, but I decided to watch it anyway, because: A) I liked David O Russel's last film, The Fighter, and; B) If all else fails, at least Jennifer Lawrence is nice to look at (I have a major crush on her).

But I was pleasantly surprised, and, for the most part, I really enjoyed the film.

Sure, it was cheesy as hell in certain parts, I saw the ending coming as soon as it was set-up, and Bradley Cooper's unheard whisper to his ex-wife was a total rip-off of Lost In Translation. But I liked the characters, and the actors and actresses played them superbly. Chris Tucker was great, as was DeNiro. Never been a huge fan of Bradley Cooper, but even he impressed me in this. And Jennifer Lawrence was as good an actress in this, as she was stunning.

It made me laugh far more than most rom-coms do as well. The scene where Chris Tucker was telling Bradley Cooper to "black it up" in regards to his dancing was brilliant.

So yeah, overall, a very solid rom-com.

7.5/10.

PM me your email address, and I'll send the screenplay over.

EDIT: Scrap that; RegularJohn has already beaten me to the punch RE the screenplay.

Hey, thanks for the link guys!

Caught this one a second time this weekend. Really really like it. The way romantic comedies should be -- with worth and with brain. Super thumbs up from me and my great goodness do I enjoy seeing the good Ms. Lawrence on screen. I hope she can move towards less garbage and more real films -- she's worthy of them. And sexy as hell.

one of the year's best (and I'm not just saying that because I helped cast for the film - yeah philly). well written, smart, and emotional. the movies says a lot about mental wellness...and society's definition of such. the acting is superb as well. I don't think lawrence will win an oscar for it, but she definitely deserves to be nominated. this is the best thing de niro has done in years (unfortunately).

the audience's reaction to the film was ... peculiar. people laughed at inappropriate times, which led me to believe that they didn't understand the film. most of cooper's tirades were meant to be funny (although a few definitely were), yet the audience interpreted them as so. and it wasn't like they were laughing because they were uncomfortable. it was mean spirited.

just my interpretation. but go see this for sure.

This film's been sitting on my desk starting at me for a couple weeks.
I honestly didn't know it was a rom/com take. LOL! ;D

Since I'm rewriting one of those right now, perhaps I should look it over.
Thanks for the reviews, guys. I'll be back with one soonish!

Regards,
E.D.

I enjoyed this and think it deserves the praise it gets but...

Spoilers

...I wasn't sure about the set up for the finish. We have a double bet, which is then almost ignored as the first part, the football team winning, just happens, which then leads to the dance off. Why both? with the football bet, it seemed it have nothing to do with the finale, almost takes away from the real event.

The finale twist is different, but I felt they hid his feelings almost too much, but maybe that's what you need to do to pull off something different. I almost feel if they had given us a glimpse, but then pushed it so he was torn, we would have felt more.

Worth watching.

After all the glowing reviews, I grabbed this one off my desk...
And boy, I wasn't disappointed.

I can't fathom Marky Mark in the lead role.
Bradley Cooper owned it.
The writer/director has also struggled with bi-polar disorder.

DeNiro gives his best performance in a long time.
Sure, the film's a little personal for me.
My dad likely suffers from an undiagnosed bi-polar condition.
So, there's that personal connection for me.

My only complaint about the film was the obvious early third act set up.
The game and the big dance.
But I really liked how they handled the game off screen.
It allowed DeNiro to dare to hope his son could "save him".
And that was just lollipops for me...
Because who wouldn't want to do the same for their struggling father?

One of the years best.
And David O. Russell's most human film to date.

E.D.

This has become one of my favorite movies.  I prefered watching it, to reading the script.  David O Russell did an amazing job with bringing the screenplay to life.  This was just so good.  A feel-good film that, IMO, is worth the praise.

Jennifer Lawrence was amazing as Tiffany, she nailed her performance.  And DeNiro was also awesome.  Cooper, eh.  I liked him, but not as much as everyone else.  He was still good though, and not bad too look... and drool.... at, haha.  

It was funny.  It was fast-paced.  And I was never once bored whilst watching.  Chris Tucker had my sides hurting.  

This was excellent until the final 20-25 minutes slipped it into the 'very good' catergory. The convoluted bet sequence and suprisingly weak moment disappointed me. Couldn't help but feel they squandered an opportunity to make something special.

De Niro was on top form. His ability to draw you into his character makes him such a pleasure to watch.

Tried to watch this last night.  Absolutely hated it in every way.  After about an hour, I said fuck it and gave up.

Everyone was yelling, fighting, and bitching.  I didn't buy a single character or relationship.  Bradley Cooper at 38 and Jennifer Lawrence at 23?  Really?  I don't think so - only someone like me can pull that shit off.

The acting seemed fine and I agree Deniro was finally able to act, but I just disliked everyone and everything about this movie.

Seeing how successful and critically acclaimed this was, the good news is that when I bash your script, it just could mean it's got great potential!   ;D ;D  HaHa.

Trying to watch this made me remember why I steer clear from Dramadies.

Terrible!!!!

Quoted from Dreamscale Tried to watch this last night.  Absolutely hated it in every way.  After about an hour, I said fuck it and gave up. Everyone was yelling, fighting, and bitching.  I didn't buy a single character or relationship.  Bradley Cooper at 38 and Jennifer Lawrence at 23?  Really?  I don't think so - only someone like me can pull that shit off. The acting seemed fine and I agree Deniro was finally able to act, but I just disliked everyone and everything about this movie. Seeing how successful and critically acclaimed this was, the good news is that when I bash your script, it just could mean it's got great potential!   ;D ;D  HaHa. Trying to watch this made me remember why I steer clear from Dramadies. Terrible!!!!

How do you really feel? :P :P :P

Curt

Quoted from AmbitionIsKey How do you really feel? :P :P :P

I tried..I really did.  My cup of tea.

At least you tried.  

And if you're going to hate a movie, then you might as well go the full fledged Dreamscale hate.  I applaud you!

Curt

Have not seen the movie, but did recently read the script. This shows that a story can be filled with absolutely ridiculous contrivances, but still be enjoyable if we buy into the characters.

There are many small contrivances, such as the ever present cop and the silly fight scene at the football game. But that third act with the crazy bet that drives the whole drama of the conclusion is so contrived it sucks the oxygen out of the tent.

But...the unique romance is deftly done, as is Pat's struggle to overcome mental illness enough to enjoy a fruitful life. It's a light hearted movie that has just enough of that...heart.

Kevin

Only seen the film and totally agree on the final bet. Why? How? I didnt get it. Amongst other reasons they agree a score they have to achieve with no reference whatsoever to anything that's gone on before, so how do we know its acheievable. Surely that was an was fix.

But I suppose when a lot is going for a script you let things pass

I also think, Bill, that with comedy audiences expect more contrivance. Not that Silver is really funny. More light hearted drama, but it's enough light hearted that people look past the obvious plot contrivances.

Unless you're an amateur! Then everything better be 100% organic and believable! lol

Quoted from KevinLenihan ...but it's enough light hearted that people look past the obvious plot contrivances.

The parts I was bale to get through sure didn't sem light hearted at all. Everyone was screaming at each other and I saw very little that was even remotely funny.

I didn't see the movie, just read the script. It seemed like that could be made light hearted, but maybe they didn't. If there is not comedy, then I don't know how this script is so well though of, because that contrived bet is hard to get past.