Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012)

After 8 months of treatment in a mental institution, Pat (Bradley Cooper) is released and returns to his parents’ house. He works out, reads a lot and tries to catch up with his friends, while his football-fanatic father (Robert De Niro) desperately tries to re-integrate him into the family. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) they instantly connect and all of a sudden seem to cross paths wherever they go. Tiffany offers Pat to deliver a letter to his wife in exchange for a favor: he has to compete in a dancing contest at her side.

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook

A big part of the film shows Pat struggling with his mental condition. Silver Lining Playbook doesn’t make the mistake of exploiting this condition for cheap jokes, but uses clever humor and good dialogues to make the rather depressing setting actually a pleasure to watch. The actors do impressive jobs (definitely Cooper’s best role so far), but I don’t really get why the film is nominated for so many (8) Oscars … It is good, but doesn’t blow me away.

TL;DR: Sensitively directed romantic comedy about a man fighting his mental condition.

[FB] Sleepers (Barry Levinson, 1996)

Four boys accidentally kill a man and are sent to a detention center, where they get brutally abused by the wardens. Years later, two of the boys stumble upon one of them.

The brilliant cast of this thriller (Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon…) impersonates the well-written characters very believable. I liked the story and its execution, though it could have been a bit shorter. Not for the faint-hearted.

TL;DR: Good thriller with a great cast.