Every Harvey has a Silver Lining

The film I like least... but the world seems to like most...

I admit freely and straight-uppedly, right-out-of-the-gatedly that I am missing whatever kind of emotional zeitgeist-ish thing that's happening with Silver Lining's Playbook. I am willingly and openly admitting that I damn sure am in the minority when I say that I think Silver Linings Playbook is tantamount to being this year's Chocolat. You do the math on that one and you come to your own conclusions. I have made no specific pronouncement.


I am simply saying that Lasse Hallstrom is a director whose work I love. My Life As A Dog is the first foreign film I saw in a theater (thank you, Joanne). The year he directed The Cider House Rules, I wondered if he might give American Beauty a run for it's money -- and he got my boy John Irving an Oscar. But sweet heavenly what?! is Chocolat?

To a softer, more mellow note -- and I mean that quite seriously -- get a trumpet mute in on the level of statement right off the bat -- I feel the same way about Silver Linings Playbook. I saw Spanking the Monkey in a now closed Palace Theater in Manhattan outside of which I saw Smashing Pumpkins just talking to each other -- and we still maintain they came in and saw the movie -- i.e. coolest "1990s independent film day" in the life of a dude where that matters. Flirting with Disaster -- Amazing. Three Kings was how I learned the National Board of Review was a legitimate organization. And then there's something like The Fighter. Look -- we know I'm wrong on this. I blogged about how wrong I was -- you all loved Melissa Leo and Christian Bale -- you gave them Oscars!

"How?!"  I suppose would be my question. If you had told me that David O. Russell directed either Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, or both to Oscars -- I would not have guessed it would be for The Fighter -- which was DESTROYED by Warrior -- have you seen Warrior? I don't know what the hell you're doing reading this blog when you could be watching Warrior. It destroyed The Fighter.

So I don't know what's up with my connect to David O. Rusell... lately it's been off...

Because let's be frank folks, David O. Russell is one "guy" this year who really has Harvey behind him... Waltz? probably... Quentin? sure... But Django's got no chance... Silver Linings and the Jennifer Lawrence of it all is a chance for Harvey to Re-Gwynethize himself... and when you got Harvey waves of that size carrying your ship to port, it means some "man" is taking a trophy, too. But for SLP (no wonder Ali likes it) here's how the gents break down...

Is Robert DeNiro going to win? You know what, you sons of bitches, wouldn't that be something? I do think the absolute smug faced-ness of Tommy Lee Jones may have cost him the Oscar -- despite his SAG win. There's always someone who streaks all the way up through the SAGS and then tanks. That person is looking more and more like Tommy Lee. It's usually not a four-for-four year -- in fact, I'll check and update if that has ever been the case -- hell, Jodie won for Nell and Lange for frickin' Blue Sky the very first year the SAG telecast began. They've long been splitters. I do think we could see Tommy Lee topple. Yes. Whether I see DeNiro taking that slot all has to do with whether...

Well... whether you think that Harvey can dig that deep for a third DeNiro Oscar. There's sure as hell a way to get Booby D. number three. But this just ain't the role. And if Harvey's rolling the dice on the supporting actor game this year, the bets on Waltz. We'll get to him in a whole separate piece whose title you're just going to adore. But if Harv snags this sucker Judi Dench style... then hold on to your frickin' hats -- it may not even be Argo. Just tie those odds with a bow and calculate what you think.

Is Bradley Cooper winning? There's not a Hugh Jackman's chance in this male award season hell that Bradley Cooper is winning. The fact that "the guy from the Hangover" is nominated, should let Mr. Cooper feel enough like a second string Greg Kinnear to know that if he really puts his mind to it, he sure as hell showed us that he's really capable of something -- something probably amazing. Silver Linings -- again -- not it for me. I do admit, I picture a girl with brown lipstick so wanting to smack me right now because of how much she loved his sensitivity. My answer? Not real!

So it looks like the Oscar in one way shape or form is going to David O. Russell. He's either taking out Tony Kushner and walking home with adapted screenplay -- bear in mind he'd have to take out Argo's Chris Terrio, too. Or he's going to take out El Spielbergo. It could be that the once "Give Us Bararbbas!" culture of the Academy that left Affleck crucified on nomination morning has now rallied for his "but we gave you a kind of side swiped thank you that includes a friggin' best picture Oscar -- so you're Michael Douglas, not Warren Beatty." So it looks like Don Spielz is going to lose out on the Lincoln picture slot. That sucker seems done. As does hopefully the ten picture system -- you fools. But that means director may damn well be wide open.

Kneejerk was "Affleck, Bigelow, and Hooper are out. That means Lincoln and Spielberg sweep." But that sure as hell ain't proving to be the case. And that reason is manifold.

One of the reasons...  Argo is and always was going to win best picture. I will get to where I made my error on that bet later... Unless there's a fantastically amazing upset! Which... I obviously hope for! Drama at all costs, unless it's when my favorite is the lock.

But look how the "And they said it was a Lincoln sweep but now it looks like an Argo romp" chips fall when you line 'em up against the Oscar nominations...

1. Bigelow's absence is killing Zero Dark. Jessica Chastain doesn't seem to have the staying power to be ZDT's victor. Looks like that is heading toward Mark Boal -- problem is it looks like he could lose to Quentin. Zero Dark is either shut out (likely), it wins screenplay (50/50), or it pulls an actress upset (1 in 10). This could be where you thank Django and ZDT goes away empty handed.

2. This means Jennifer Lawrence is absolutely going to win best actress . This has most of America saying "Wait a minute, the chick who played Katniss and Mystique can actually act?" It has your better friends saying, "Wow, she came a long way from Winter's Bone -- fast." A "lead" win for a film with other acknowledged performances is HUGE.

3. This means that the film that's nominated in every acting category is now getting a second glance because Silver Linings Playbook is nominated in ALL FOUR CATEGORIES -- it's As Good As It Gets -- plus one... no, I won't say it's REDS. 'Cause you can rally round the flag all you want at the SAG awards -- but Argo ain't an actor's movie -- not in Oscar's view. It just isn't the best cast of the year. It's a great film with many great elements. But Argo only has the Arkin nom. Suddenly you've got actors looking at a film with four categories. CLIFFHANGER!!! Does this throw Silver Linings into "Picture Play?" DON'T FORGET HOW CRASH WON.

4. You know how it's going -- Hathaway (the Les Miz-Ozcar), Waltz (looks like it, huh?), Lawrence, Day-Lewis... screenplay ain't a guarantee... so where else can Silver Lining's strike? Director and Picture. At this point, I'd say picture is out. 

5. This is my blog, so I'll say it -- if David O. Russell wins best director, I will be sickened for having predicted it here. Spielberg can't lose for that to happen. It can't be this way. No.

Let's get back to it...

David O. Russell has effectively -- auteurishly in what I would consider to be the most drastically self reflexive way in the world -- made a film that was important to him. This is because -- as he brings up, I would never bring up -- his son has certain disabilities and it was important to Mr. Russell (not Mr. O'Russell) that he artistically communicate with his son. I think that is wonderful, of course. I have members of my family who are disabled or otherwise abled in some capacity and have lost some close friends who had a range of similar maladies. So -- yeah -- it resonates. To so many of you, it was "human."


Out of all the films this year, America has said "that's the one with all around character connect." I freely admit that I see why that would be the case. I emphatically admit that while being a psychotic fan of all things connected to this film, I did not feel it.

To me, everything about mental illness did not ring true.  With SLP there was an overly emphatic tone to what symptoms were, to what behavior was, to what conversation was, to what breakdown was. Now -- that differs from experience to experience. DOR said it was personal to him -- perhaps that's how it was for him. But for me, this wasn't Niagra, Niagra by a good country sneeze. And as much as why that limits the film reaction for me -- which sounds obnoxious -- (but I just didn't feel it got there), I am obviously completely wrong when it comes to how everyone else has reacted. You all loved it. So screw me.

I just felt that there was a time where we were representing mental difficulties in a real way or in a fake way -- so that we could either increase awareness or so that we could simply use a lunatic as a part of storytelling. This puppy -- I don't know where it falls. I have very specific reactions to the presentation of mental illness -- so that should be taken into account. Then again, I consider things from oh, running somewhere out by that tree in Amadeus over to that screen door in Awakenings to the barred windows in Twelve Monkeys to Midnight Express -- TO BE ACCURATE! Somewhere between Hefty Bag, lucky charm when you sit next to me, and dance tournament -- I parted ways with this film -- in a way I was drawn closer to Billy Elliot, The Full Monty (film only, thank you), and Little Miss Sunshine. Here -- the "too much"... was... for me...  "too much."

But all of you seem to love it!

Are we that short on "it was just an actually good romance between complicated adult characters" style films that this one is living the life of a 1970s Neil Simon screenplay?

Look, I'm a big fan of horse racing. Big fan. I'm having questions about the morals of it lately -- and maybe I'll give it up -- but not before I introduce a couple of more friends to the thrill of race where you're not just betting on the winner. You can call "Argo!" at the ribbon all you want. But shagging ass as down the stretch they come is Silver Lining's Playbook streaking past Lincoln and probably going to end in second. It's the Harvey push... and has been the case in many year's past -- The King's Speech, The Artist -- it's the flick that hooked the audience's heart.

Hey, I like The Dreamers -- I can be a jerk. DOR, J'adore. I want you to be an Oscar winner. I guess I'm just hoping for more sophisticated tackle with more piercing barbs. My heart requires a more complicated trap.