After losing his job and wife, and spending time in an institution, a former teacher winds up living with his parents. He wants to rebuild his life and reconcile with his wife, but his father would be happy if he shared his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Things get complicated when he meets Tiffany Maxwell who offers to help him reconnect with his wife if he will do something very important for her in exchange.
Acting
Lawrence's Oscar win at 22—she out-acts everyone including De Niro.
Writing
Dialogue so fast and sharp it feels improvised (some of it was).
Direction
Russell's handheld chaos makes dysfunction feel intimate, not cheap.
Director
David O. Russell
Bradley Cooper
Pat Solatano Jr.
Jennifer Lawrence
Tiffany Maxwell
Robert De Niro
Pat Solatano Sr.
Jacki Weaver
Dolores Solatano
Anupam Kher
Dr. Cliff Patel
Chris Tucker
Danny McDaniels
Julia Stiles
Veronica
Shea Whigham
Jake Solatano
John Ortiz
Ronnie
Paul Herman
Randy
Dash Mihok
Officer Keogh
Matthew Russell
Ricky D'Angelo
Cheryl Williams
Tiffany's Mother
Patrick McDade
Tiffany's Father
Brea Bee
Nikki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Russell's son has bipolar disorder, and he rewrote the script to reflect that lived experience rather than the novel's more detached tone.
This film briefly made 'silver linings' mainstream slang and launched the 'trauma rom-com' subgenre that peaked with Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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