As I said in my previous post. I spent the weekend cat/house-sitting for a film critic who happened to have a stack of screener DVDs. So, I watched as many as I could (two). Last post I talked about Beasts of the Southern Wild. Today, it was a choice between Silver Linings Playbook and Exotic Marigold Hotel. I wanted to read the synopses and then decide, but the problem with screener DVDs apparently is that they don't have synopses - instead they just have a bunch of reviews "Cinematic Gold!" "Comedic Genius!" "Jennifer Lawrence is amazing" "Maggie Smith continues to be awesome." Which really doesn't tell you anything about the films at all really...

Both movies seemed to be toted as comedies though...So, I asked myself "am I in a British sort of mood or an American sort of mood?" I decided on American, just because the British usually require my full concentration and I wasn't sure I was up for that..

Silver Linings Playbook

Okay, first off, this is not a comedy. It SAYS it's a comedy and the reviews seem to think it's a comedy - but it's not a comedy. I mean, yes, it's a comedy in the traditional sense (ie: everyone doesn't die at the end)...but it's not a comedy as in "Hahaha, oh man, this movie about mental illness is HILARIOUS!" Maybe it's because I don't find mental illness very funny? Anyway, I didn't understand why the reviewers seemed to think it was a comedy... one of them raved about Robert De Niro's comedy chops, but there was nothing funny about his character! 

Now, for all that it's not funny, the movie IS good. I liked it, and I really really liked the message of it. I won't put spoilers, but it's a super sweet film that just has such a sweet, fitting, and realistic conclusion. 

Now...Did Jennifer Lawrence just win a golden globe for this?... I was about to say that I'm not sure that was the right call, but actually, thinking about it now, yeah...she did do a pretty kick ass job with her part. So, I take my unvoiced thought back. Good job, her. Bradley Cooper was also REALLY good. I don't know if I've ever seen him in anything else. I have a pretty terrible memory for actors and whatnot. For instance, I spent the whole movie trying to figure out who this one actress was, and then I realized it was the girl from Ten Things I Hate About You. I still can't remember her name (Julia Stiles - thanks IMDB)...anyway, I haven't seen her in forever. Also, Chris Tucker, man, he looks different...if it hadn't been for the voice, I might not have recognized him.

Okay, I just looked up Bradley Cooper and I have never seen him in anything else ever - so this was his debut for me. Good job, man.

Anyway, good film - not a comedy. I mean, I guess it's a comedy in the sense of As Good As It Gets, but even compared to that film it's more serious and less whimsical... which isn't a bad thing, the characters felt more grounded in reality. :)