Silver Linings PlaybookMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Silver Linings Playbook."

Silver Linings Playbook Showtimes + Tickets

Must Go!

Avg. Critic Score: 81 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 16+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
Everything comes together brilliantly in Silver Linings Playbook - for the film's crazed but uncrazy lovers; for the filmmaker, David O. Russell, and best of all for lucky us. Read full review
100

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
It is, without doubt, a transcendent endeavor, from its exhilaratingly smart screenplay - director David O. Russell's adaptation of the novel by former South Jersey teacher Matthew Quick - to the unexpected and moving turns of its two leads. Read full review
100

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
Family nuttiness, football madness, romantic obsession, and certifiable mental illness coexist happily in Silver Linings Playbook - a crazy beaut of a comedy that brims with generosity and manages to circumvent predictability at every turn. Read full review
90

The Hollywood Reporter |
Cheerfully yet poignantly exposing the struggles, anxieties, disorders and obsessions of ordinary people, this is a film as odd as it is charming. Read full review
88

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Cooper gives the performance just the right lunacy and doubt. Read full review
88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Silver Linings Playbook is eager to sting instead of soothe. It's one of the year's best movies because Russell makes you laugh till it hurts. Read full review
80

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
Cooper and Lawrence could so easily have stumbled over the logistical bumps and clichés strewn across Russell's defiantly dark script. Instead, they glide right over them, creating an edgy romantic dramedy that suits our anxious times. Read full review
75

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Silver Linings is consistently entertaining, with its scrappy, well-drawn characters, offbeat humor and indefatigable positive outlook. Read full review
70

Movieline |
The glorious mess that is Pat's family and community is the warmest, funniest aspect of Silver Linings Playbook. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
As a movie about mental illness, Silver Linings Playbook is more lightweight than lighthearted. But thanks to Lawrence, it does one good thing most movies don't do. It actually gets better as it goes along. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Silver Linings Playbook on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+ Offbeat dramedy mixes light and dark; some intense moments.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although Silver Linings Playbook is an offbeat, affecting dramedy with many comedic moments and one-liners, the story it's telling is really quite dark: It's about two people hampered by mental illness and despondence, respectively, who try to claw their way back to a semblance of normalcy and happiness. It's a romantic film in many ways, as well as a study on dysfunctional families and what makes them work in their own strange (and sometimes uncomfortable) ways. There are references to sex, violence, and gambling, as well as some upsetting scenes in which a character's anger bursts out of control, sometimes leading to physical confrontations (including one in which he knocks his mother down and ends up in a fight with his father). Flashbacks include glimpses of a bloody beating and a naked couple in a shower; there's frequent swearing ("f--k," "s--t," and more) and some social drinking.

Families can talk about how the movie portrays mental illness. Does it cast a positive or negative light on the mentally ill? How does it compare to other movies and TV shows you've seen on the topic?
Is this film a romantic comedy? Why or why not? How does it turn the genre on its head?
Talk about Pat's breakdown and return to his family. Is his re-entry into regular life believable? Why does his family put up with his eccentricities?
Are the characters admirable? Are they meant to be?

The good stuff

Positive messages: No matter what your baggage is -- mental illness, past relationships, anger, a dysfunctional family -- you can find love (and yourself) if you commit to the journey.
Positive role models: The characters here are all very flawed, damaged, or both, and they make plenty of poor decisions. But they're also good-hearted, and, in the end, they try to do what's right for them and others. Pat's parents care a lot about him, even if they don't always know how to handle him. A tailgating scene includes some racist behavior, but it's clearly considered wrong/out of line.

What to watch for

Violence: Talk of how one character beat up someone in a shower, and, in quick flashbacks, viewers see it happen (the bloody scenes go quickly and in a haze). The same character also has sudden angry outbursts that lead to yelling, tension, and damage; he throws an object through a glass window, abruptly knocks over a magazine stand at a doctor's office, and even gets into a fistfight with his father after knocking his mother down during one of his episodes. A fight erupts at a football tailgate party, and people are arrested.
Sexy stuff: Quick glimpses of a naked couple in a shower; we see them kissing, and her torso/breasts are visible. A woman discusses her sexual history/conquests. Two characters share a passionate kiss. A woman is shamed for her sexual past. Lots of tight/revealing costumes during a dance competition.
Language: Frequent but not incessant use of words including "f--k," "s--t," "damn," "a--hole," "slut," "d--k," "c--k," "hell," "bulls--t," "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation)," "oh my God," etc. Characters display raised middle fingers.
Consumerism: Brands/products seen on screen or mentioned include Budweiser, Apple (iPods, laptops), Raisin Bran, and Pampers. There's also a lot of talk about the Philadelphia Eagles football team; characters are shown wearing their paraphernalia.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some drinking (wine, beer), mostly socially. In one scene, a woman goes to a bar with the clear intention of overindulging but doesn't get that far. Two characters catalogue the prescription medications they've tried. Some scenes show a man taking his meds.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

3.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

Crazy in Love Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Movies.com Read more movie reviews at Movies.com