Silver Linings Playbook(2012)- User Reviews

When I saw this film I was with a friend who laughed at almost every line-like me- and GOT all the nuances of Bi-Polar folk and even how they might have gotten that way. The Hallmark of a Bi-Polar -(formerly Manic-Depressive) person is simply that they usually don't want to lose that Manic edge so they hate taking meds--like the lead character. Often Alcoholics are diagnosed as BP and then find without the alcohol (assuming they stay sober) they no longer swing from all sides of the tree.
Most of our audience did not find the film as amusing as my friend and I, so I assume this is NOT a film for everyone. The pairing of two BP people was genius for a film or book but I suspect would not have a happy ending in real life. But judging the film on its own merit, it is true genius. The writer created a closed world which fit the characters like a glove. His father (DiNero) a true and non-courageous ATD person, was played for laughs but had a solid ring of truth in explaining his son's insanity.
The female lead, perhaps a bit too intelligent and streetwise to be believable, was fun to watch. It all comes together, as films rarely do, and makes for one hell of an adventure in pure delight.