Oscar-down #2: Silver Linings Playbook

(Will counts down his favorite Best Picture noms! #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3)

#2: Silver Linings Playbook

Why it should be higher:
   I was always confident that Bradley Cooper had a lot of talent (beyond just playing characters I want to punch in the face), but its great to finally see him have an opportunity to put his range on display. The same goes for Jennifer Lawrence; I've been less impressed by her more recent performances (X-Men, Hunger Games) but here she again proves why she's a rising star. Silver Linings Playbook works because both actors take the challenging roles they've been given and absolutely commit to them, with Cooper and JLaw's tremendous chemistry erasing all my reservations about the age difference between the pair. Together they provide the movie with a powerful emotional spine, making the audience deeply invested in Pat and Tiffany's budding relationship.
   The movie also happens to be funny. Really funny. But beneath the humor there's a sense of cold honesty about the characters and their relationships. Parts of the film lack this feeling (we'll get to that), but at Playbook's best it touches upon the character's bonds and issues in a way that feels real. Take Pat's dynamic with his parents and brother. They're as conflicted about Pat's situation as he is, backing him up while still forcefully pushing back. His dealings with his brother in particular are a nice blend of support, awkwardness, and some genuine ragging on Pat's quirks. In short, they act like a family in a way that feels natural and refreshing.

Why it isn't:
   That sense of honest truth is largely abandoned by Silver Linings Playbook in the home stretch, where the film embraces all the rom-com formulas it had previously taken pains to avoid. Everything I said about Argo feeling "movie-y" is even more on display here. This is a film where the characters get together and arbitraily construct narrative stakes for the final act with 20 minutes left to go, and its use of a climactic dance competition isn't exactly breaking new ground (though one of Russel's tweaks to the trope does generate one of the film's biggest laughs). More problematic is the sudden shift that occurs in Bradley Cooper's Pat. After a late revelation he transforms very abruptly, instantly becoming a man who for all appearances is perfectly fine. It all comes together too quickly to form a standard happy ending, one whose overwhelming sweetness rings a bit hollow in light of what came before.
   None of this changes the fact that Silver Linings Playbook is an infectiously enjoyable film, a joy to watch even if the movie cheats a little at the end. It's just that in the end, Playbook isn't quite as strong an experience as the remaining nominee...