No great surprise that Silver Linings Playbook was the big winner at the Independent Spirit Awards, just ahead of the Oscars, taking best feature, best director and screenplay for David O. Russell and best actress for Jennifer Lawrence. I liked the film well enough, but thought it was a rather lazy cop-out as far as its address to the issues of mental health was concerned.
In the first half of the film, these were given reasonable substance, making for some elements of uncomfortable viewing. But they all seemed wished away, very Hollywood ‘feel-good’ style, in the end. Just dance your troubles away? Hardly the stuff of prickly indie fare. I wanted the song that drives the main protagonist crazy to turn up from one of the acts at the climactic dance show and for him to lose it; or, at least, something to reflect more honestly a sense that the issues are substantial and not so easily shrugged off in what ends up as a variety of indie rom-com. But, then, I suppose that’s the Weinstein end of the spectrum for you and maybe what should be expected. Can’t see it troubling the scorers too much tonight at the Oscars, however, even with its soft centre.