Grade • B-
DVD • Of the eight Oscar nominations "Silver Linings Playbook" received this year, it won for the one it really deserved: Jennifer Lawrence's radiant, beautiful and deliciously kooky performance as Tiffany, a young widow still working out a few things, including her loneliness and her occasional need for someone to share her bed.
She's not as screwed up as Pat (Bradley Cooper), a teacher recently sprung from a mental institution after an incident in which he found his now ex-wife naked with another guy and then proceeded to pummel the guy bloody. Pat's living with his OCD-afflicted father (Robert De Niro) and his patient mum (Jacki Weaver), aiming to reconcile with his ex, but becoming attracted to Tiffany, who enlists him in a dance competition.
Director David O. Russell ("The Fighter") keeps juggling the disjointed relationships in this acerbic comedy, but ultimately lets it succumb to sentimentality. Extras include deleted scenes and (on the Blu-ray) dance instructions.
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