Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film was based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel The Silver Linings Playbook. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, with Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker, John Ortiz and Julia Stiles in supporting roles.

The story takes place in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Cooper plays Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr., a man with bipolar disorder who is released from a psychiatric hospital and moves back in with his parents (De Niro and Weaver). Pat is determined to win back his estranged wife. He meets a young widow, Tiffany Maxwell (Lawrence), who offers to help him get his wife back if he enters a dance competition with her. The two become closer as they train, and Pat, his father, and Tiffany examine their relationships with each other as they cope with their situations.

Silver Linings Playbook premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012, and was released in the United States on November 16, 2012. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim, with high praise drawn to Russell's direction, and the performances of Cooper, Lawrence, De Niro and Weaver. It emerged as a commercial success at the box office, grossing over $236 million worldwide.

A recipient of several accolades, Silver Linings Playbook received eight nominations at the 85th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It became the first film since Reds (1981) to be Oscar-nominated for the four acting categories and the first since Million Dollar Baby (2004) to be nominated for the Big Five Oscars, with Lawrence winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the second-youngest Best Actress winner in Oscar history. It also received four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Lawrence winning Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical; three BAFTA nominations, with Russell winning Best Adapted Screenplay; four Screen Actors Guild nominations, with Lawrence winning Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role; and five Independent Spirit Award nominations, winning in four categories, including Best Film.