watched "Silver Linings Playbook"

[dreamshark]

I disliked it for at least the first hour but Jennifer Lawrence kept me watching and eventually I warmed up to it. It's easier to forgive the wildly unrealistic writing once you realize it's a rom-com. But the first part is not only not funny, it is actively unpleasant. So it kind of didn't occur to me that it was a comedy. But once it reaches the end we have at least had a few feel-good scenes, and looking back on it I see that the story followed the predictable rom-com arc.

Of all the Oscars it was nominated for, the only one it won was for best actress (Jennifer). Which seems exactly right to me. It would have been a particularly big misfire if Brad Cooper had won best actor. He wasn't terrible, but not in any way memorable. Swapping him out in favor of another actor of the same general type wouldn't have changed the movie significantly. But take out Jennifer Lawrence and you don't have a movie anymore.

In the end I was glad I watched it, but I'm not sure if I would go so far as to recommend it.

Comments

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

I don't know this movie, but I'm reminded of when I watched "Steel Magnolias." It starts off with one character being bridezilla, and I was at least halfway through the movie before I realized that I was supposed to like and care about her. Like deeply care, because the major drama plot was that she might die, so I really wasn't supposed to be thinking, "Good riddance!"

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

*heh* Yeah, Brad Cooper's character did kind of inspire an "Oh, self-destruct and be done with it!" vibe, especially in the early going.