Staying in: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Released: 2012, out now on DVD and Blu-Ray

Certificate: 15

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver

Director: David O. Russell

David O. Russell’s impressive dark comedy follows Pat (Bradley Cooper) as he attempts to rebuild his life after being released from a custodial sentence in a psychiatric hospital into the care of his family. Pat ricochets through his old neighbourhood, eventually meeting Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), the recently widowed sister of his best friend’s wife. The two instantly form a connection through their shared experience of different psychiatric drugs, and what unfolds thereafter is an enthralling and touching exploration of what ‘insanity’ (or lack thereof) means in the modern world. Lawrence and Cooper deftly handle their characters, allowing the audience to engage with their darker sides without ever being overplayed or fully alienating, and Russell’s inventive direction helps emphasize the feelings of confusion and disconnection that accompany their struggles to get along in a world that suddenly seems hostile and absurd. The film is not afraid to present some harrowing scenes and concepts, but the vein of comedy running through it helps prevent it ever becoming too downbeat.

Verdict: 4.5/5

A.E.S