Weinstein

R 120 min

So as the Oscars draw closer and closer I'll be catching up on some flicks that seemed like a minor players but made it into the final round. Yeah I realize everybody wants to sell tickets and make money therefore adding twice as many films to the best picture category. Fortunately there are just so many really good movies released each and every year that you can expect the top 10 to be pretty damn good. Just from the summary I wouldn't have expected much from A quirky boy meets quirky girl romantic comedy featuring Bobby De Niro in his shopworn role of comedic gruff pop. Had it not been for the nomination I wouldn't have guessed it was just odd enough to push it over the top. I probably shouldn't judge as many books by their covers, huh?

So, and it isn't often that this will strike me but one of the shining moments of this film is Jennifer Lawrence who is turning out to be one of Hollywood's bright young stars. I've been impressed by the way she held her own on Saturday Night Live as well as bringing a spark that helped turn a crappy book into a pretty good film in THE HUNGER GAMES.

As a matter of fact both the characters here are whatever you’d call anti-hero in a romantic comedy. Neither is particularly likeable at the outset but the quirks never step over the line into creepy.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) lives in a fantasy world in which his ex-wife (who probably dumped him because he is crazy) is on the brink, of coming back to him. Of course that’s only in his deranged mind. Tiffany's (Lawrence) positively unable to make hey worthwhile connection with any of the dozens of random boyfriends she will use and discard like so many tissues. Of course not only are the main characters nuts, so are all their friends and family. Parts of this nontraditional love story revolve around his father's, (De Niro) obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles and her focus on an upcoming dance contest.

Everything is a little bit left of center and that's exactly what places silver linings playbook above the pack. Take away the insanity and you'd be left with a Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts potboiler.

It does stand above the crows.

A-

(I’d have given it an A if it were the Browns instead of the Eagles. <G>

WSS