On the second day of the gathering in Edinburgh last weekend, as the after-effects of the previous night's party started taking their toll, people began leaving one by one to go home or to their hotel. In the end I found myself alone with nothing to do at 7 pm, and figured I'd go see if any good movies were playing. Scanning over the available movies, I came across one I hadn't heard of at all, but since it was billed as a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence in the female lead, I figured it should be fun to watch, even if it wasn't all that good a movie.

The movie opens in a mental hospital, where Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is just released and picked up by his mother, after an eight months stay. As we proceed to find out, he was sentenced to that after having violently assaulted his wife Niki's lover, upon catching them in flagrante delicto in their shower. In the process, Pat was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, as well as having what seems like an unhealthy obsession with winning his wife back - although the restraining order she has against him rather complicates this quest.

Pat's father (Robert De Niro), is a bookmaker, a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan and has some obsessions of his own, such as his firm belief that Pat is a good-luck charm for the Eagles, and him being present in an Eagles shirt while his father watches the game will inevitably result in an Eagles victory.

At a rather disastrous dinner party at his best friend's, Pat is introduced to his sister-in-law Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has recently become a widow and also has a bipolar disorder and various mental health issues. Since Tiffany and her sister are still in touch with Niki, Pat tries to befriend Tiffany to try and establish contact with Niki through her. Tiffany, however, has some ideas about a favour he should do her in return, which works out for a while until it starts conflicting with his father's Eagles-related requests.

The movie starts out at a furious pace, with both leads putting in great performances as unpredictable, mentally not very stable yet sympathetic characters who are prone to sudden outbursts. De Niro's loving father who wants to help his son with his issues but can't help making things worse at times due to his own mental instability, is also great. The high point of the movie is without a doubt the "date" on which Pat and Tiffany go, and the argument they get into about which of them is the most normal.

The second half of the movie is somewhat weaker, as the fireworks are less frequent and less unpredictable, and the plot moves to a fairly predictable climax, although the acting remains top-notch through-out. Silver Linings Playbook got Golden Globe nominations for best (comedy) picture, best scenario and best actor/actress for Cooper and Lawrence; I wouldn't be surprised if Lawrence and possibly Cooper also got Oscar nods, and they'd be entirely deserved. The ending is too conventional and too predictable to put the movie in the running for Best Picture, in my opinion, but thanks to the acting and the amazing first half, I think this is still one of the best rom coms out there, on par with the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Chasing Amy or 500 Days of Summer.