By Diane DeBiase—

The title of the movie speaks volumes. After every storm there is a silver lining, and that is, in part, what the whole premise of the movie is. The movie begins with a man who must restart his life due to mental problems and, in the process, realizes what life is truly about. Right from the beginning you feel such compassion for this man. His mental problems emerge after finding out his wife cheated on him, and he beats up the “other man.” He is institutionalized instead of going to jail, and when released, his silver lining life begins.

The main characters, Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) were amazing. Bradley Cooper is the troubled man who loses everything due to bi-polar breakdowns and his wife’s infidelity and must rebuild his life. Even though his wife caused his major problems, he wants her back. Things start to get complicated after Pat meets Tiffany at a friend’s house. He agrees to help her with a competition if she will deliver a letter to his wife, who has a restraining order against him. From this point on, their relationship blossoms into something much more.

An actor who hasn’t made many dramatic appearances lately, Robert DeNiro, is stellar in this role as Bradley Cooper’s father, Pat Sr. He hasn’t played a role like this in years. DeNiro and his wife Dolores, played by Jacki Weaver, are die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans and a bet leads to the climax of the movie. Will Pat get back together with his ex-wife Nikki or will he start a non-platonic relationship with Tiffany? I won’t spoil the end, however I will tell you it was definitely worth the money to go see it.

This movie was moving on all levels. It shows a man who is down and out, struggling to get back a life that he doesn’t really want. The things we truly want aren’t always what we need. Love and happiness can be staring at us right in the face, and we could be too blind to see it. It was a touching, heartfelt movie that combined humor with drama.

This movie first premiered in 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival and has more recently come to mainstream movie theaters across the country. There is a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding this movie and its incredible actors.

Silver Linings Playbook was written by Matthew Quick and it was adapted into a screenplay by David O. Russell.