Silver Linings Playbook

I looked forward to watching this movie. Especially, for its star cast. And because of its subject and theme: bipolar disorder and depression and life.

Let me say at the very outset that there was a Malayalam movie Vaddakunathan that dealt with the subject of bipolar disorder better than this one.

So I finally got down to watching this movie yesterday afternoon… Well, at the end, I feel that it is a Bollywood script filmed by a Hollywood director! It just contains a lot of hamming and unrestrained acting by Bradley Cooper and his parents.

Only Robert De Niro excels and Chris Tucker excel in parts. In fact, Chris Tucker's character could have been given some depth. 

It becomes a ‘trying-too-hard-to-be-a-feel-good’ film. About happy endings and how we all can live with bipolar disorders and sex addictions and manic depressions… But portrays everything in an unscientific and impractical way. Here, the lead character knows what he is suffering from, can’t let go of his wife, his past, frustrates everybody, yells in the middle of the night, etc., but wants everybody to understand him and love him.

Somehow a woman, who suffers her own tragic situation (accidental death of a husband leaving her high and dry), is plotted into his life and love blossoms between the two. In fact, love (lust?) is almost thrust upon the bipolar-disordered leading man without any idea about its consequences or humane thoughts. This very approach is clichéd and insults the intelligence of the average movie lover.

Jennifer Lawrence’s performance and the well-choreographed dance sequence are the only silver linings in this dark cloud! I shall let this one pass by and await good rain and sunshine from another one.