In sum: a movie that starts off serious about mental illness flips into "love can cure anything" nonsense. And, of course, there's a dance-off. Why? Because.
I'm so glad to see this. I seriously thought this was a badly-written Lifetime movie with really good performances. This and Flight are the two movies that stump me this year. Is everyone else seeing versions of these movies I'm not? Man. And it drove me NUTS that the ex showed up at the dance competition. Are you serious? She got the guy sent to JAIL, for heaven's sake. Now she's going to suddenly be supportive? Please.
Ditto (and especially the badly-written Lifetime movie with really good performances - yes, that). I can't say I had a bad time watching the movie, but left feeling cold - it was a bunch of really wonderful performances in search of a movie to hold them together. I can't really understand why everyone loved it so much. (As my sister pointed out, I liked the movie much better when it was Better Off Dead.)
I'd assumed it just suffered in comparison because I watched it on the same day as Lincoln, Argo, and ZD30. Very glad to hear I'm not the only one who felt this way.
I'm seeing it next week on the same day as I'll be seeing Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and Life of Pi. It doesn't sound like it will fare well in direct comparison.
Both it and Flight share that they have widely respected actors who are playing it more dialed back than we've come to expect (Washington and De Niro). Also, a friend of mine apparently got pretty far in reading for the part of Pat's ex, but had concerns about the nudity.
I agree with Marsha and Becca. I liked individual parts of the movie. I particularly liked watching DeNiro act again instead of vamping in a bad comedy. But I had a real problem with feeling any empathy for the Jennifer Lawrence character after she created the whole scene in front of the movie theater, so I couldn't really buy the romantic happy ending.
I've seen all the Best Picture nominees other than Django, Zero Dark Thirty and Amour, and I'd rank Silver Linings Playbook behind only Argo. I understand it's flawed and I may be biased because this movie was right up my alley as someone who loves football romcoms and most David O. Russell films, but I really, really enjoyed it. And I thought Jennifer Lawrence's performance was amazing, particularly in the scene where she tells off Robert DeNiro's character.
So glad to read this. I was feeling like I was the only one who was left unimpressed by this movie, not to mention slightly disturbed at how mental illness is apparently cured by a little dancing and falling in love. I did enjoy Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, but I found the romantic plot was much more formulaic than I expected (see: Marsha's reiteration of my "Better Off Dead" theory).
I have an idea that it could sneak in and win Best Picture this year. Lincoln seems to be going cold, and Argo has heat, but it could suffer both from competition with the other political movie (Zero Dark Thirty) and the Affleck non-nomination. Given all that, and that SLP was nominated in all the acting categories, it's possible the large actor contingent of the Academy could sneak in and give SLP the win. Which would disappoint me greatly.
Yes. All of this. And it was miscast, overacted (much scenery chewing), and inconsistent. I hated it. I was so excited to see it. And since I NEVER get to go to the movies anymore, and I normally like pretty much everything, I was shocked at how bad it was, and couldn't believe the great reviews and awards it's getting. I was furious when it was over.
In sum: a movie that starts off serious about mental illness flips into "love can cure anything" nonsense. And, of course, there's a dance-off. Why? Because.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see this. I seriously thought this was a badly-written Lifetime movie with really good performances. This and Flight are the two movies that stump me this year. Is everyone else seeing versions of these movies I'm not? Man. And it drove me NUTS that the ex showed up at the dance competition. Are you serious? She got the guy sent to JAIL, for heaven's sake. Now she's going to suddenly be supportive? Please.
ReplyDeleteDitto (and especially the badly-written Lifetime movie with really good performances - yes, that). I can't say I had a bad time watching the movie, but left feeling cold - it was a bunch of really wonderful performances in search of a movie to hold them together. I can't really understand why everyone loved it so much. (As my sister pointed out, I liked the movie much better when it was Better Off Dead.)
ReplyDeleteI'd assumed it just suffered in comparison because I watched it on the same day as Lincoln, Argo, and ZD30. Very glad to hear I'm not the only one who felt this way.
I'm seeing it next week on the same day as I'll be seeing Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and Life of Pi. It doesn't sound like it will fare well in direct comparison.
ReplyDeleteBoth it and Flight share that they have widely respected actors who are playing it more dialed back than we've come to expect (Washington and De Niro). Also, a friend of mine apparently got pretty far in reading for the part of Pat's ex, but had concerns about the nudity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marsha and Becca. I liked individual parts of the movie. I particularly liked watching DeNiro act again instead of vamping in a bad comedy. But I had a real problem with feeling any empathy for the Jennifer Lawrence character after she created the whole scene in front of the movie theater, so I couldn't really buy the romantic happy ending.
ReplyDelete9. How do they go to the Llanerch Diner and not order disco fries? (I've only seen the commercials)
ReplyDeleteI've seen all the Best Picture nominees other than Django, Zero Dark Thirty and Amour, and I'd rank Silver Linings Playbook behind only Argo. I understand it's flawed and I may be biased because this movie was right up my alley as someone who loves football romcoms and most David O. Russell films, but I really, really enjoyed it. And I thought Jennifer Lawrence's performance was amazing, particularly in the scene where she tells off Robert DeNiro's character.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to read this. I was feeling like I was the only one who was left unimpressed by this movie, not to mention slightly disturbed at how mental illness is apparently cured by a little dancing and falling in love. I did enjoy Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, but I found the romantic plot was much more formulaic than I expected (see: Marsha's reiteration of my "Better Off Dead" theory).
ReplyDeleteI have an idea that it could sneak in and win Best Picture this year. Lincoln seems to be going cold, and Argo has heat, but it could suffer both from competition with the other political movie (Zero Dark Thirty) and the Affleck non-nomination. Given all that, and that SLP was nominated in all the acting categories, it's possible the large actor contingent of the Academy could sneak in and give SLP the win. Which would disappoint me greatly.
Yes. All of this. And it was miscast, overacted (much scenery chewing), and inconsistent. I hated it. I was so excited to see it. And since I NEVER get to go to the movies anymore, and I normally like pretty much everything, I was shocked at how bad it was, and couldn't believe the great reviews and awards it's getting. I was furious when it was over.
ReplyDelete