Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook - Dir. David O. Russell (2012)

"You have poor social skills. You have a problem."

"I have a problem? You say more inappropriate things than appropriate things."

In Hollywood, there's a thing called 'director jail.' Make a stinker or flush a studio's money down the toilet and you could be sentenced there for life. Just ask Michael Cimino, who hasn't done anything significant since his infamous bomb, Heaven's Gate. David O. Russell was lucky enough to escape a similar fate. Russell was earning some buzz on the independent scene with the quirky comedies Spank the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster. Then, he helmed the highly successful and critically acclaimed Three Kings, a unique look at the Gulf War with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in lead roles. His next picture, the self-described existential comedy I Heart Huckabee's, received mixed reviews and played to many empty theaters. He also received a reputation as an enfant terrible after a video leaked onto the internet of he and Lily Tomlin locked in a heated argument. Production on his follow-up, Nailed, was shut down after losing financing several times.

Along came the story of boxer Micky Ward, which was turned into The Fighter, a film that earned seven Academy Award nominations. Out of Russell's entire oeuvre, The Fighter is his most mainstream and accessible picture. It was a calculated move by Russell to get back into the game and there's no denying it worked like a charm. Russell had his groove back and now he presents his best work yet with Silver Linings Playbook.

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is a high school teacher who launches into a violent rage when he catches his wife, Nikki, in the shower with another man. He is diagnosed as bipolar and sent to a psychiatric hospital in Baltimore. After eight months, Pat is checked out early by his dutiful mother (Jacki Weaver). Despite having a restraining order filed against him, Pat hopes to win Nikki back by exercising regularly, reading great works of literature, and maintaining an optimistic outlook. He's even adopted, "Excelsior!," as his motto, not realizing Stan Lee already beat him to the punch. The road to recovery isn't smooth considering Pat loses his cool the first night out after reading Hemingway's Farewell to Arms and discovering it doesn't have a happy ending.

During a casual dinner with friends, Pat meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a widow who fell into a self-destructive phase of sexual promiscuity following the death of her husband. Their newfound relationship runs hot and cold, just like Pat's mental state. They bond over their mutual dysfunctions, but part over Pat's tactless behavior. Eventually, they agree to train together for a dance competition in exchange for Tiffany passing on a letter to Nikki.

Silver Linings Playbook is based on a novel by Matthew Quick and adapted for the screen by Russell. Hollywood has a reputation for portraying mental illness with cloying sentimentality or as an excuse for quirky, broad humor. "Silver Linings" may have a slightly sanitized sheen, it's a far more compelling and genuine look at mental issues. Chalk that up to the authors' life experiences. Quick previously worked in the mental health community and battled with his own bouts of depression. Russell's son, Matthew (who appears briefly as a nosy neighbor kid), suffers from bipolar disorder.

Although actors like Vince Vaughn, Mark Wahlberg, and Anne Hathaway were previously attached, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as the leads. Cooper brings his usual self-assured swagger, but injects the role of Pat with sorrow and humanity, which helps with a character that isn't always sympathetic. It girl Jennifer Lawrence earned her Oscar for Best Actress through a performance that is simultaneously fragile and fierce. You root for their relationship because they live without filters. The people around them live seemingly normal lives, but are hiding deep seeded neuroses. Pat's best friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) is married to Tiffany's sister, Veronica (Julia Stiles), and they appear to be the picture of suburban, upper middle class bliss (an iPod port in every room of the house). However, Ronnie is clearly being suffocated by attempts to maintain a contented paternal face. Likewise, Pat's long-suffering mother also puts on the phony façade of happy homemaker dealing with things in her own quiet way (with "crabby snacks and homemades").

Pat Sr. (Robert DeNiro) is the other source of frustration in the Solitano household. He's a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan who was banned from the stadium for excessive fighting. He gambles large sums on the games and developed obsessive compulsive superstitions he believes will help the team win. Pat Sr. is one of DeNiro's best performances in years and refreshing to see from the legendary actor who has almost fallen into an abyss of self-parody.

Perhaps, the most surprising turn in the film belongs to an understated Chris Tucker as a fellow patient at Pat's hospital. You would never guess this was the same abrasive loudmouth from the Rush Hour movies.

Silver Linings Playbook is a heartwarming take on the romantic comedy. David O. Russell treats the characters and the subject matter with dignity and the results are a feel-good movie about people you normally wouldn't feel good about.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

Jack Goes Boating

Jack Goes Boating - Dir. Philip Seymour Hoffman (2010)

Philip Seymour Hoffman has accumulated numerous accolades and awards during his long career as an actor. He finally makes his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating, based on an Off-Broadway play written by Robert Glaudini. The original theatrical production was workshopped at the LAByrinth Theater Company, where Hoffman once served as co-director along with fellow actor John Ortiz. Both Hoffman and Ortiz starred in the play along with Daphne Rubin-Vega. All three return for the feature film version with Amy Ryan rounding out the main cast.

Hoffman is the titular Jack, a chauffeur working for his uncle's limo service in New York City. Jack is the kind of fellow you wouldn't waste a second glance on. He's the type of person no one pays attention to in the Big Apple and that's the way he likes it. Jack shuffles along, staring at his feet as he walks the pavement. He buries his head in his earphones while listening to reggae music on his Walkman. Yes, he listens to an honest-to-goodness cassette player. Jack's love of reggae has led him to fix his hair into a series of unkempt dreadlocks.

Jack is best friends with Clyde (Ortiz), who is married to the strong-willed Lucy (Rubin-Vega). Lucy works at a funeral parlor with Connie (Ryan), a woman who is as socially awkward as Jack. Clyde and Lucy figure Jack and Connie would go well together, probably because it would be almost impossible for them to fit with anybody else. The four friends sit down for a dinner marked by sparse and uneasy conversation. In spite of that fact, Jack and Connie seem to hit it off. When she makes an off-hand remark about going boating in the summer, Jack embarks on a personal journey of self-improvement that begins with swimming lessons. Later, when Connie mentions nobody has ever cooked for her, Jack learns how to cook and agonizes over the idea of making the perfect meal for his paramour.

As the relationship between Jack and Connie blossoms, the marriage between Clyde and Lucy crumbles in direct proportion.

For his first directing gig, Hoffman chooses a less ambitious project where the emphasis is on acting rather than camera style. It's about what's happening on camera and not behind the camera. Needless to say, the acting is superb all around. Hoffman is an old hat at playing these roles. There's something almost heartbreaking about his performance as this gentle teddy bear of a man. His child-like demeanor certainly inspired the film's kid-lit style title. Amy Ryan is perfectly cast opposite Hoffman. Ryan's career skyrocketed following her award-winning turn as the drug-addled mother in Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. She also won acclaim as the dorky love interest to Steve Carell on The Office. Ryan doesn't go to either extreme as Connie, but finds a quiet desperation the character. In the role of Jack's best friend is John Ortiz, who most movie-goers will recognize as the drug kingpin in Miami Vice or the drug kingpin in Fast & Furious. Yes, it is refreshing to see Ortiz in a more understated role than that of the generic, ethnic villain.

Jack Goes Boating tries a little too hard to create quirky characters. The script tends to labor at a feeling of preciousness leading to an artificial aura around certain scenes, in particular one in which Connie confesses to fantasizing about making love to Jack on a spaceship rocketing through the cosmos.

The oddball romance between introverts is the kind of storyline you generally see between two twenty-something hipsters, but Hoffman and Ryan make it work.

Rating: **½ (*****)

Fast & Furious

Fast & Furious - Dir. Justin Lin (2009)


The original film in the Fast & Furious franchise, directed by schlockmeister Rob Cohen, was essentially Point Break with cars instead of surfboards and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto as a more intense anti-hero than Patrick Swayze’s Zen-like Bohdi. Both films end with the protagonist (Paul Walker in the former, Keanu Reeves in the latter, both equally wooden) reaching a level of respect for his nemesis and allowing him to flee on his own terms. Following The Fast and the Furious was the ridiculously titled sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious (now helmed by John Singleton), with only Paul Walker returning as FBI agent Brian O’Conner. A third film of direct-to-video quality was unfathomably foisted onto the public. Directed by Justin Lin, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift dumped all previous characters though Toretto appears towards the end in a quick cameo.

For those who find articles too difficult to remember, the succinctly titled Fast & Furious, is likely to be right up your alley. Toretto and his girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), have fled the U.S. since the first film and have found their way to the Dominican Republic. After Toretto strikes out on his own, he learns that Letty has been murdered in L.A. by a drug lord named Arturo Braga. Returning to America, Toretto runs right into O’Conner is also tracking down Braga. They reluctantly agree to work together to work their way into Braga’s organization which has been smuggling drugs across the border with street racers as the mules.

I’ve probably made the paper thin plot sound far more complex than it actually was. Fast & Furious offers nothing new to anybody who hasn’t already seen a million other action films. Walker is the scruffy rebel smothered by his by-the-books superiors while Jordana Brewster fills the role of the sweet girl caught in the middle of the conflict. I think Vin Diesel is a better actor than most give him credit for, but here he’s just required to be the burly, baritone beefcake who stands there and looks menacing.

Fast & Furious does break out of the starting gate with a strong set piece featuring Toretto’s gang attempting to highjack a gasoline tanker truck. If you saw the trailer, you know what I’m talking about. But, the rest of the film gets saddled with clichés, painful dialogue, and leaden performances. The climax is built around a chase sequence with cars racing through a network of underground mining tunnels. While it might have seemed cooler on paper, the final product leaves much to be desired. The race is lit too darkly while the shots and angles are too muddled to give you any idea of what was happening. It’s nearly as disorienting as the opening car chase in Quantum of Solace. On top of all that, the CGI cars make the sequence look like something out of a video game. Justin Lin was once the toast of the indie scene after the success of Better Luck Tomorrow, yet he seems more than content with making mainstream pap.

Was anyone truly clamoring for a FOURTH installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise? Surprisingly, there were as Fast & Furious did over $70 million in box office its opening weekend, a record for the month of April. Is it exactly high art? Nope, but it is brainless entertainment and a slightly satisfying (if fattening) appetizer for those looking to whet their taste buds for the upcoming summer blockbuster season.

Rating: * 1/2