David O Russell has been walking a fine line for some time now. With the possible exception of his feature debut, Spanking The Monkey, which is as 'independent' as you'd expect a story of a sexually tense relationship between a young man and his mother-to-be, the writer-director's films have had a toe in both the mainstream and arthouse territories – the likes of Flirting With Disaster, Three Kings and The Fighter seem conventional at first glance but have a prickly intelligence and complex emotionality. And the same goes for Silver Linings Playbook, which has an energy that's messy and exhausting but vibrant, confronting and ultimately touching. In less capable hands this story of bipolar Pat (Bradley Cooper, very solid), out to rebuild his life after a violent incident that landed him in a mental hospital for almost a year, could have been maudlin, sappy or self-consciously meaningful. In Russell's, it's alive and kicking. Released into the custody of his concerned parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, both terrific), Pat embarks on a program of physical fitness and mental optimism (hence the title) in a bid to win back his estranged wife. But he didn't reckon on the presence of Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence, revelatory), a straight-talking, emotionally-bruised young widow who could ruin or redeem him.
In cinemas now
