Crazy people need love too. That's probably the tagline but the poster's too small to read it.It's hard to be the token romantic comedy in the Best Picture category. I get that. At least it's an acceptable subject: mental illness. Can't let people just have a movie that makes them happy, no, it has to have a "message". Well, the message here is Take Your Medication.
Pat (Bradley Cooper) is signed out of a court-mandated stay in a mental hospital by his mother (Jacki Weaver). Pat is bi-polar with delusions brought on by stress. The reason he ended up in psychiatric care is because he almost killed his wife's lover after catching them together in the shower. To be fair, that would be stressful. Obsessed with the idea of winning her back, Pat attempts to reconnect with old friends Ronny (John Ortiz) and Veronica (Julia Stiles). Along the way, he meets Veronica's sister Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recent widow and depressive. Tiffany agrees to be a courier for a letter to Pat's wife, violating her restraining order, but in return, forces Pat to be her partner in a dance contest. Pat's father (Robert DeNiro), a bookie obsessed with his superstitions about the Philadelphia Eagles, doesn't approve and thinks Tiffany will screw up the Eagles' juju.
As a depressive with no filter, I can readily identify with the awkwardness that comes from having your particular brand of crazy broadcast to the world. What I liked about this movie was that everyone comes off a little crazy, no matter how normal they seemed outwardly. Julia Stiles was a scene-stealer and Jennifer Lawrence is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actresses.
Okay, the Oscars actually started 45 minutes ago so I should have enough time on my DVR to skip all the commercials now.
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