Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook Information

Silver Linings Playbook is an American romantic comedy-drama film directed by David O. Russell, from a screenplay by Russell, adapted from the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, with Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher and Julia Stiles in supporting roles.

Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a man with bipolar disorder who is released from a psychiatric hospital and moves back in with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver). Determined to win back his estranged wife, Pat meets recently-widowed sex addict Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). She tells Pat that she will help him get his wife back if he enters a dance competition with her. The two become closer as they train and Pat, his father, and Tiffany examine their relationships with each other as they cope with their disorders.

Silver Linings Playbook premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012, and was released in the United States on November 16, 2012. The film opened to major critical success and earned numerous accolades. It received eight Academy Award nominations, achieving the rare feat of being nominated in all four acting categories, the first time since Reds in 1981, and also being nominated for the Big Five, the first time since Million Dollar Baby in 2004, with Lawrence winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. It also achieved four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Lawrence winning Best Actress; three BAFTA nominations, with Russell winning for Best Adapted Screenplay; four Screen Actors Guild nominations, with Lawrence winning Best Actress; and five Independent Spirit Award nominations, winning in four categories including Best Film and Best Actress. The film has gone on to become a sleeper hit at the box office, grossing over $216 million worldwide, more than ten times its budget.

Plot

In 2008, Pat Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper) is released from a mental health facility into the care of his parents after eight months of treatment for bipolar disorder. During his time there, he forms a close friendship with a fellow patient, Danny (Chris Tucker), who is having legal disputes with the hospital which constantly prevents him from leaving. Pat soon learns that his wife, Nikki, has moved away and his father, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro), is out of work and resorting to bookmaking to earn money to start a restaurant. Pat is determined to get his life back on track and reconcile with Nikki, who obtained a restraining order against him after the violent episode that sent him away.

While talking to his court-mandated therapist Dr. Patel (Anupam Kher), Pat explains again why he was hospitalized. Coming home early from his high school teaching job, noticing clothes thrown on the floor and his wedding song Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" playing, he finds Nikki in the shower, with another man. Enraged, he nearly beat the man to death. Despite this, Pat doesn't believe he needs medication to manage his condition.

At dinner with his friend Ronnie, he meets Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a recent widow who also just lost her job. Pat and Tiffany develop an odd friendship through their shared neuroses, and he sees an opportunity to communicate with Nikki through her. Tiffany offers to deliver a letter to Nikki, if in return he will be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. He reluctantly agrees and the two begin a rigorous practice regimen over the following weeks, with help from Danny, who is eventually released. Pat believes the competition will be a good way to show Nikki he has changed and become a better man. Tiffany gives Pat a typed reply from Nikki, in which she cautiously hints there may be a chance for a reconciliation between them.

Things go well for Pat until his father asks him to attend a Philadelphia Eagles game he has bet virtually all of his money on, as a "good-luck charm". Pat skips practice with Tiffany to attend the game, but is dragged into a fight with racist thugs attacking his psychiatrist and brother, and is hauled away by police. The Eagles lose the game and Pat Sr. is furious. Tiffany arrives, berates Pat, and points out that the way she "reads the signs", the Eagles do better when she and Pat are together, as they won every game they played on occasions when Pat and Tiffany spent time together. Pat Sr., now convinced that Pat being with Tiffany is actually good luck, makes a parlay with his gambling friend that if the Eagles win their game against Dallas, and if Pat and Tiffany score at least a 5 out of 10 in their dance competition, he will win back all the money he lost on the first bet. Pat is reluctant to participate in the dance contest under those conditions; however, Tiffany and Pat's father decide to persuade Pat by lying to him to say Nikki will be there. In the mean time, Pat, who has isolated himself from everyone, begins to read the letter from Nikki again and notices that the phrase Tiffany had said earlier - "reading the signs" - appears in the letter.

Pat, Tiffany, and everyone else arrive at the competition on the night of the football game. Tiffany is horrified to discover that Nikki is in the audience. Pat finds Tiffany, who has been drinking with a man who was trying to pick her up, and manages to coax her onto the dance floor, where they perform their routine. As they dance, the Eagles win their game and at the conclusion of their set, they score exactly 5 points"?Pat and Tiffany are elated.

Amid cheers from his family and confused looks from the crowd, Pat approaches Nikki and speaks quietly into her ear. Tiffany storms off. Pat leaves Nikki behind after only a short conversation, intent on finding Tiffany. He chases after her and tells her he knows she forged Nikki's letter. He confesses he has loved her from the moment he met her but has taken a long time to realize it and they kiss. They become a couple and Pat Sr. opens a restaurant with the money he has won.

Cast

Bradley Cooper as Patrizio "Pat Jr." Solitano
Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell
Robert De Niro as Patrizio "Pat Sr." Solitano
Jacki Weaver as Dolores Solitano
Chris Tucker as Danny McDaniels, Pat's best friend, whom he met at the Baltimore mental health facility
Julia Stiles as Veronica Maxwell
Anupam Kher as Dr. Cliff Patel
Brea Bee as Nikki Solitano
Shea Whigham as Jake Solitano
John Ortiz as Ronnie, Veronica's husband
Paul Herman as Randy
Dash Mihok as Officer Keogh

Production

Development

The Weinstein Company bought the rights to the book before it was published and planned for Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella to produce, before they both died in 2008. Pollack gave the book to Russell, telling him it would be tricky because the story is emotional and troubling as well as funny and romantic. Russell estimates he rewrote the script twenty times over five years. Russell was drawn to the story because of the family relationships and also because of the connection to his own son, who has bipolar disorder and OCD.

The film was shot on a 33-day schedule. A more extreme and very dark version was filmed and scenes were shot with DeNiro's character harsher or warmer, as Russell worked with editor Jay Cassidy to set the balance they wanted.

The locations are Upper Darby and Ridley Park, small communities just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although not mentioned by name in the film, it is credited at the end, and a police officer can be seen wearing the initials "RPPD" on his collar.

The film takes place over the second half of the 2008 NFL football season, which saw the Philadelphia Eagles advance to the NFC Championship Game. Several games are mentioned, including the Eagles' victories over Seattle and San Francisco, their loss to the New York Giants (which was the game Pat was attending when the fight broke out) and their victory over Dallas in the season's final game.

Casting

Russell initially intended to make the film with Vince Vaughn and Zooey Deschanel, but went on to make The Fighter instead. Mark Wahlberg was set to work with Russell for the fourth time but had to drop out after delays in production created a scheduling conflict.

Russell had planned to work with Bradley Cooper on an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but that fell through. Cooper's performance in Wedding Crashers impressed Russell, who noted his "good bad-guy energy", saying "You're not sure where he's coming from." Cooper told Russell "he had been heavier and angrier and more fearful" at the time of that performance and had drawn on those feelings for it. Russell was excited that Cooper would bring those qualities to Pat Solitano.

Anne Hathaway was cast as Tiffany Maxwell but due to scheduling conflicts with The Dark Knight Rises, she dropped out. Other actresses who were considered for the part included Elizabeth Banks, Kirsten Dunst, Angelina Jolie, Blake Lively, Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams, Andrea Riseborough and Olivia Wilde.

Russell did not believe Lawrence was suitable for the role and her audition was only a formality. He thought Lawrence (21 at the time of filming) was too young to play against Cooper (37), but her audition changed his mind. "There's an expressiveness in her eyes and in her face, that many stars have to work for, that's ageless," he said. Russell compares Lawrence to the character Tiffany, describing her as confident but one of the least neurotic people he knows, with the confidence and glimpses of vulnerability needed to play Tiffany. Tiffany went through several iterations. She was initially meant to be a goth. Lawrence dyed her hair black and did test shoots in heavy goth makeup, but Harvey Weinstein balked at this. The character remained messed-up yet confident, with small goth touches such as the dark hair and a cross. To her surprise Russell asked Lawrence to put on weight for the role. Russell also convinced her to speak in a lower register, despite Lawrence thinking her naturally low voice makes her sound like a "chain-smoking hermit".

According to Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence said "she didn't have a handle on Tiffany at first, which was what excited her about the role. 'She was just a character I 100 percent did not understand at all... She's like, 'I'm messed up, I'm not like everybody else, I've got issues. Take it or leave it because I like myself.'"

Lawrence and Cooper had no previous dance experience. In less than a month, Mandy Moore, the choreographer of So You Think You Can Dance, taught them the dance sequences. Moore describes Cooper as having "some real natural dancing ability" and Lawrence joked that before training began, she was a bad dancer, "like I'm a dad at a prom". Lawrence said of the climactic ballroom dance, "None of that was improvised, absolutely not. I'm a terrible dancer, so I would never have been able to do any of that. When it finally came together, that scene really was just as fun as it feels."

Release

The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012, where it won the People's Choice Award. It received a limited release in the United States on November 16, 2012, opening wider later that week. It also opened at the 2012 Mumbai Film Festival on October 18, 2012.

The Weinstein company initially planned an unusual wide release for Silver Linings Playbook, going nationwide on an estimated 2,000 screens. They were encouraged by positive reviews and hoping to capitalize on Thanksgiving to do more business. Instead, they took a more slow-burn approach, opening in fewer theaters, expanding gradually, in a strategy to build up word-of-mouth support. Continuing the slow release the film expanded to 700 theaters on December 25.

Reception

Critical response

Silver Linings Playbook premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival to highly positive critical reactions. The film has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 209 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film holds an average score of 81%, based on reviews from 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."

Cooper, Lawrence, DeNiro and Weaver have all been lauded for their performances, with praise especially reserved for Cooper and Lawrence. Kevin Jagernauth of The Playlist praised the film, "an enormously entertaining, crowd-pleasing winner from the director whose comedic edge has never been sharper", and especially the performances of its two leads, stating that "none of this works without some carefully developed, and perfectly pitched performances from the leads, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who both arguably give career best, awards-worthy performances." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said that "the chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence makes them a delight to watch, their spiky rapport failing to conceal a mutual attraction" and that their performances anchor the ensemble cast who also give great performances even in small roles. Rooney also complimented the "invigorating messiness" and "nervous energy" of the choreography. Richard Corliss of Time magazine also applauded the performances of the leads, particularly Lawrence, stating: "The performances of these actors are reason enough to go. The reason to stay is Lawrence. Just 21 when the movie was shot, Lawrence is that rare young actress who plays, who is, grown-up."

Russell's direction has also been widely acclaimed, with Justin Chang of Variety writing: "Never one to shy away from unlikely sources of comedy, David O. Russell tackles mental illness, marital failure and the curative powers of football with bracingly sharp and satisfying results." Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film an "A-" grade, praising the performances of both Cooper and Lawrence and also Russell's directing, stating that "both as solo screenwriter and director, Russell assembles a small, bubbly cast for an unexpectedly charming romcom that frequently dances "? at one point, quite literally "? between cynicism and bittersweetness with largely winning results." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post remarked that "directors matter. In any other hands, the adaptation of Matthew Quick's novel would be the stuff of banal rom-com fluff or, perhaps worse, self-consciously quirky indie cliches."

Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, saying that the film was "so good, it could almost be a terrific old classic" and described Russell's screenplay as "ingenious" for the way the major concerns of both the father and son pivot on the final bet. Kenneth Turan called the film "a complete success from a singular talent" [Russell] and the actors' performances "superb", including Chris Tucker in an "irresistible" supporting turn. Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer called the film "a transcendent endeavor, from its exhilaratingly smart screenplay... to the unexpected and moving turns of its two leads." Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post wondered if the film was too good to be true, answering: "Actually, no. All the silvery buzz here is deserved, folks. This meaningful film keeps the laughs, giddy anxiousness and warm butterflies from the trailer and sustains it all through two full hours of a love story." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "one of the year's best movies. It's crazy good."

Other reviews are more critical of the movie. One such review came from The New Yorker critic David Denby, who called it "a miscalculation from beginning to end" and found Cooper's character "tiresome" but noted that the film improves when Tiffany is introduced. Richard Brody, also of The New Yorker, criticized the writing, saying "the characters are created merely to fulfill its requirements" and credits the actors for any charm or integrity the film possesses. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph said that there was a "tiring fruitlessness to the mayhem" and that the film's central relationship isn't that interesting. He describes the lead character as a "rambling headcase", his mental illness passed off as a lovable quirk and complains that Tiffany's reasons for being interested in him are largely unexplored. He describes Lawrence as the film's only silver lining, in that she does manage to create a complex character from thin material, but he criticizes Russell for ogling her.

The NFL was critical of the gambling in the film and declined to broadcast an interview with Bradley Cooper and Chris Tucker during Thanksgiving.

Box office

The film earned $443,003 in its opening weekend, from 16 locations, facing strong competition from films including Skyfall and Lincoln. Expanding to 367 locations in the second week the film, putting it in ninth place, with $4.4 million. By December 30, it was showing at 745 theatres and earned $27.3 million so far. On January 18, 2013, it earned $12.7 million when it expanded to 2,523 theaters, which boosted its total to $56.7 million. In its second weekend of it in 2500+ theaters, it only declined 12.2%. Gitesh Pandya states it is well on its way to smashing the $100M mark and could go much higher if it remains durable over the weeks.

Ray Subers forecast the film would earn $100 million. He predicted the film would start slow but keep going through December and gain a wide audience, bringing in fans of Lawrence and Cooper from their work on big franchise films. The film crossed the $100 million mark in North America over President's Day weekend 2013. As of March 19, 2013, the movie has become a huge sleeper box office hit, making nearly ten times its budget.

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Date of ceremony	Group	Category	Recipients
February 24, 2013	Academy Awards	Best Picture	Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti and Jonathan Gordon
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
		Best Supporting Actress	Jacki Weaver
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
		Best Film Editing	Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
January 11, 2013	American Film Institute	AFI Movies of the Year
January 2013	2nd AACTA International Awards	Best International Film	Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti and Jonathan Gordon
		Best International Direction	David O. Russell
		Best International Screenplay	David O. Russell
		Best International Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best International Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
October 18"25, 2012	Austin Film Festival	Audience Award " Marquee Feature	David O. Russell
February 10, 2013	British Academy Film Awards	Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
January 10, 2013	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
		Best Cast
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
		Best Comedy Film
		Best Actor in a Comedy	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress in a Comedy	Jennifer Lawrence
December 14, 2012	Detroit Film Critics Society Awards	Best Film
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
		Best Ensemble
		Best Screenplay	David O. Russell
January 18, 2013	Georgia Film Critics Association	Best Picture
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
		Best Supporting Actress	Jacki Weaver
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
		Best Ensemble
January 13, 2013	Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture " Musical or Comedy
		Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Screenplay	David O. Russell
November 26, 2012	Gotham Independent Film Awards	Best Ensemble
October 7, 2012	Hamptons International Film Festival	Audience Award " Best Narrative Feature	David O. Russell
October 22, 2012	Hollywood Film Festival	Actor of the Year	Bradley Cooper
		Director of the Year	David O. Russell
		Supporting Actor of the Year	Robert De Niro
January 5, 2013	Houston Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
February 23, 2013	Independent Spirit Awards
		Best Film	David O. Russell
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Female Lead	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Male Lead	Bradley Cooper
		Best Screenplay	David O. Russell
February 21, 2013	International Film Music Critics Association Awards	Film Composer of the Year	Danny Elfman, also for Dark Shadows, Frankenweenie, Men in Black 3, Hitchcock, and Promised Land
February 21, 2013	International Film Music Critics Association Awards	Best Original Score for a Comedy Film	Danny Elfman
January 18, 2013	Iowa Film Critics Circle	Best Film
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
December 5, 2012	National Board of Review Awards	Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
December 5, 2012	National Board of Review Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
December 13, 2012	Las Vegas Film Critics Society	Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
December 9, 2012	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
December 11, 2012	San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	Best Film
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Adapted Screenplay
		Best Performance by an Ensemble
January 26, 2013	Producers Guild of America	Best Theatrical Motion Picture	Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
December 16, 2012	Satellite Awards	Best Film
		Best Actor " Motion Picture	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress " Motion Picture	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture	Robert De Niro
		Best Director	David O. Russell
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell
		Best Editing	Jay Cassidy
January 24"February 3, 2013	Santa Barbara International Film Festival	Outstanding Performer of the Year	Jennifer Lawrence
January 27, 2013	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Supporting Actor	Robert De Niro
		Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
December 17, 2012	St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actor	Bradley Cooper
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Screenplay	David O. Russell
September 6"16, 2012	Toronto International Film Festival	People's Choice Award	David O. Russell
December 10, 2012	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film
		Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence
		Best Adapted Screenplay	David O. Russell

Top ten lists

Cinemablend listed the film at 8 on its list of the year's 10 best.
Critic Catherine Shoard of The Guardian listed the film at number 4 on her list of the year's 10 best.

Music

Soundtrack

}} Silver Linings Playbook: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack to the film of the same name, released in the United States by Sony Music Entertainment on November 16, 2012 for digital download.

The lead single from the soundtrack, "Silver Lining (Crazy 'Bout You)" peaked at #100 in the UK Singles. The soundtrack includes music from Stevie Wonder, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Alt-J, Eagles of Death Metal, Jessie J and two tracks from the score composed by Danny Elfman.

Score

Danny Elfman's score for the film was released on digital download by Sony Music Entertainment simultaneously with the song album.

Home media

Silver Linings Playbook is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 30, 2013.