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Silver Linings Playbook Reviewed by Tim Grierson


Unique, beguiling and occasionally frustrating: these descriptions apply equally to Silver Linings Playbook and its two central characters, a bipolar man fresh out of an institu- tion and a depressed woman reeling from her husband’s death. This romantic comedy-drama from director David O Russell represents a merger of the two sides of his film-mak- ing personality — the freewheeling spirit of his early indies (Flirting With Disaster) and the more traditional crowd- pleasing tone of The Fighter — and even if the mixture does not always gel perfectly, the brave, resonant performances from Bradley Cooper and a never-better Jennifer Lawrence go a long way to selling the movie’s bold beating heart. Silver Linings Playbook no doubt wants to make a play for


What Richard Did Reviewed by MarkAdams


Lenny Abrahamson’s languidly dramatic film is a slow-burn story of a terrible and senseless incident that spirals out of control. Beautifully shot, impressively performed and increas- ingly powerful, it may be modest in terms of casting and story, but What Richard Did is a remarkably impressive film. Set against backdrop of a tranquil Irish summer as a


group of well-to-do schoolfriends head off to the beach — this is no grim tale of urban angst… its characters are all well rounded and grounded — and while there is much fun and games to be had, a dark twist is lurking in this seemingly straightforward story. Irish film-maker Abrahamson — who made Garage and Adam & Paul — shows a sure hand with Malcolm Campbell’s script, based on Kevin Power’s novel Bad Day In Blackrock. A less confident film-maker might have tried to rack up the dramatic tension earlier in the film, but Abrahamson lets to characters develop gently, so when the dramatic twist does happen it is striking and moving. The film opens with 18-year-old Richard Karlsen (a very


impressive Jack Reynor, a young actor worth watching) driv- ing to his parents’ beachside house with his schoolfriends. There is fun on the beach; amiable boozing at a pub and gen- tle flirting, with Richard taking a shine to Lara (Murphy). Richard is a born leader, always ready to help out a friend,


take responsibility, clear up round the house and welcome new arrivals to the gang. He is close to his parents, intelli- gent, plays for the local rugby team and seems to be the one his friends admire. His growing relationship with Lara is delightfully handled — for the first third of the film it is more romance than drama — with the only fly in the ointment being her previous boyfriend Conor (Keeley), a rugby team- mate with whom Richard gets on with superficially. As the weeks draw on Richard gets increasingly jealous of


Lara, and as she flits around at one party and chats happily to Conor, he starts to drink heavily. After a drunken melee, Richard gets into a fight and mindlessly lashes out, leading to a tragic accident. What follows is Richard attempting to deal with his shame and guilt, with Reynor impressive as a young man going through different stages of anger, guilt, frustration and depression as he struggles to make the right moral decisions. At the same time his father, Peter (Mikkelsen), faces his own moral quagmire as he seeks to help his son while also doing the right thing. It is a familiar story, but one handled with subtly and com-


passion. Abrahamson makes great use of widescreen to present a side of Ireland (young, middle-class dramatic angst) seen rarely, with What Richard Did a gently memorable film.


September 10, 2012 Screen International at Toronto 9 n


CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA


Ire. 2012. 87mins DirectorLenny Abrahamson Production companies Element Pictures, Irish Film Board International sales Protagonist Pictures, www. protagonistpictures.com Producer Ed Guiney Executive producer AndrewLowe Screenplay Malcolm Campbell, based on Kevin Power’s novel Bad Day In Blackrock Cinematography David Grennan Editor Nathan Nugent Production designer Stephanie Clerkin MusicStephen Rennicks Main cast Jack Reynor, Roisin Murphy,Sam Keeley,Lars Mikkelsen


awards consideration. Strong reviews should help, and the presence of Cooper and Lawrence (not to mention Robert De Niro and, in a very small role, Chris Tucker) will attract box office, but the film’s quirky tenor probably guarantees only mid-range grosses. Based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel, Silver Linings


Playbook could be considered a very distant tonal cousin to Punch-Drunk Love, which similarly featured two outsiders — one suffering from clear mental and emotional problems — making a go at love. Pat (Cooper) has just spent several months in an institution for brutalising his wife’s lover, but he is convinced he can win her back, even though she has moved on. Into his orbit comes Tiffany (Lawrence), a tart, combative young widow who has a slutty reputation since the death of her husband. They become unlikely friends, spurred on by the fact Tiffany still communicates with Pat’s wife, who has put a restraining order on him. There is nothing inherently fresh about a film featuring


an imbalanced protagonist, but Silver Linings Playbook does good work normalising Pat’s condition — so much so that the film’s herky-jerky tonal shifts seem to be related directly to Pat’s mood swings. Freed from the institution, Pat is determined to embrace a healthier, more positive outlook, and Cooper superbly reveals his character’s struggles to keep intact his facade of a fresh start. As confident and empathetic as Cooper is, though, the real


revelation is Lawrence, who conveys a dangerous seductive- ness as the thorny, vulnerable Tiffany. Though Tiffany’s problems may not be as extreme as Pat’s, she is equally wounded, and for the first time in her brief career Lawrence plays a grown-up, with incredible flair and steeliness.


GALAS


US. 2012. 121mins Director David O Russell Production company/ domestic distribution The Weinstein Company, www.weinsteinco.com Producers Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon Executive producers Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, George Parra, Michelle Raimo Kouyate, Bradley Cooper Screenplay David O Russell, based on the novel by Matthew Quick Cinematography Masanobu Takayanagi Editor Jay Cassidy Production designer Judy Becker Music Danny Elfman Main cast Bradley Cooper, JenniferLawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker


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