Always a Silver Lining

In theaters Friday: End of Watch, Judge Dredd 3D, The Master, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Trouble with the Curve

New on Blu-ray/DVD: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Cabin in the Woods

TIFF, The Toronto International Film Festival, that great arbiter of awards-contender dramas, ponderous art films and headline-grabbing documentaries, has come and gone, and there’s been a fairly significant surprise in the Audience Award Category. Silver Linings Playbook, adapted from Matthew Quick’s heart-rending mental illness novel by director David O. Russell who had a career renaissance in 2010 with Oscar-winner The Fighter, was the clear fan favorite in Canada last week.

Past audience selections at TIFF have included The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire—both went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Silver Linings Playbook stars Bradley Cooper as a former teacher who leaves a mental institution to move back in with his parents—including Robert De Niro—after a bitter divorce has left him adrift and unable to cope.

So what does the film have going for it? It appears that Russell and Cooper have found the awkward and dark real-life humor associated with both co-habitating with parents in one’s 30s and the largely misunderstood ailment of mental illness. But the secret weapon appears to be Jennifer Lawrence—yes, the Hunger Games star—who plays a young woman that sparks a connection with Cooper because she has similar challenges of her own. The actress was Oscar nominated for her fearless performance in Winter’s Bone a few years ago, and with Silver, she looks to be on her way to a second Best Actress nod at the ripe old age of 22.

Silver Linings Playbook debuts Nov. 21. Watch the trailer below: