SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Let me say this right away: "Silver Linings Playbook" is a top of the line romantic comedy drama, a dramedy.  I want to establish the fact that you should see it from the start, because it is a much more complex story than we are use to encountering.  

There are scenes which are very intense and disturbing to watch, not because of the action, but because of the raw emotion, the rage and the threat of serious violence.  This not the comedy format we are accustom to seeing.  I have to believe that having David O. Russell as the co-writer and director is a major factor in making this delicate balance work. Mister Russell was the director of the wonderful 2012 film, "The Fighter."

I don't think you will see any bad reviews for this film; when you get a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence( of "The Hunger Games" fame) in the key roles, you are half way to success before the cameras roll.

Comedian Chris Tucker and an unknown actor, Anupam Kher as a clever psychologist, make wonderful contributions to the story.

What I fear most is that we have set our sights so low with silly, trashy films, we 

will be too lazy to appreciate a quality production that requires us to think and feel and suffer with the very human characters in this excellent film.