Silver Linings Playbook

Upon seeing this posting up 92% on Rotten Tomatoes & two personal recommendations, I knew I needed to see this despite my general hatred of rom-coms (romantic comedies). Bradley Cooper plays a mentally ill (bi-polar & rage issues) former teacher who starts our story in a mental institution. Slowly the layers get peeled back and you find out he snaps after his wife, who he's still in love with, was cheating on him with a fellow teacher. He's trying to figure out how to control his rage episodes and attempt to live a normal life. His friend invites him to dinner with his wife (Julia Styles) and Julia's sister played by Jennifer Lawrence. She just lost her husband and is in a seemingly fragile state as well. The two start spending time together attempting to form a friendship. Robert De Niro plays Cooper's dad who runs a sports book illegally and is attempting to reconcile with the fact he feels partially responsible for Cooper's characters mental issues since he spent more time with his older brother. Damaged characters played effortlessly and perfectly by an amazing cast. It's such an interesting story of people. Cooper's brutally honest all the time, he doesn't know how else to be. Everyone has quirks that are exposed. Bottom Line: 9.2 out of 10. I feel it a cop-out to vote like Rotten Tomatoes, but this film is just excellent. It's really a film you should head out and see. I can see where the Oscar buzz is from, just phenomenal everything.