Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence shine in the trailer for 'Silver Linings Playbook'

David O. Russell's 'Fighter' follow-up will be part of TWC's awards arsenal

By Kristopher TapleyThursday, Jun 28, 2012 1:09 PM

Are you a fan of In Contention?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

The Weinstein Company, as noted a few times already, has quite the slate of films to throw at the wall this awards season. But what will stick? Will Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" sweep through the branches as a favorite or will it just be seen as a fun romp? Will Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" find a welcome rhythm? Will "Lawless" and "Killing Them Softly" find a much warmer reception than they did at Cannes? And what of something like Dustin Hoffman's "Quartet," stealthy and unassuming?

"The Silver Linings Playbook" is part of all of this too. It was featured with "Django" and "The Master" at Cannes as part of a footage screening package and comes from "The Fighter" director David O. Russell. I've heard this and that about the film, about how Robert De Niro is finally not phoning it in, about how stand-out "it" girl Jennifer Lawrence is, etc. But I've also heard Bradley Cooper is a bit surprising with his performance, and judging by the recently released trailer, I can see immediately he's firing on different cylinders than usual.

The Film, adapted from the novel by Matthew Quick, tells the story of a former teacher who spends some choice years in a mental hospital before moving back in with his folks with the goal of reconciling with his ex-wife. Who knows how much the script may have morphed since Russell came on board, but it's a quality role for Cooper. Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker also star.

Awards? Well, who knows? It's certainly the one on TWC's lips when you ask them lately. But we'll have to see in a few months' time. I doubt this is one for the festival circuit, but I suppose it could be. "The Master" seems more likely to hit the Telluride/Toronto/Venice corridor to me.

Cooper will also be seen in "The Words" from CBS Films, which played Sundance and could be added fuel for whatever Best Actor campaign he lights this year.

Check out the new trailer above. "The Silver Linings Playbook" opens November 21.

Oscar-statues-outside-the-82nd-academy-awards-at-the-kodak-theater-in-hollywood-ca._article_story_main_primary

Everything: Academy Awards

Latest news, photos, reviews, interviews, videos and more.

Go There

Kristopher Tapley
Editor-at-Large

Kristopher Tapley has covered the film awards landscape for over a decade. He founded In Contention in 2005. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Times of London and Variety. He begs you not to take any of this too seriously.

d2

Is that Chris Tucker? I thought this movie was directed by David O. Russell, not Brett Ratner... hahaha
June 28, 2012 at 2:01PM EST Reply to Comment
juan_josé_serrano

This looks like a David O. Russell film, extremely neurotic and sarcastic, I love his films but will the Oscars love it too? The Fighter was much more Academy friendly than his usual films
June 28, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to Comment
thatguy

Cooper is very underrated. He was damn good in Limitless.
June 28, 2012 at 3:34PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jonnybon I've not seen Limitless, but he's not usually damn good.
  June 28, 2012 at 4:10PM EST
Edwin

I know we're all just going on hunches here, but mine are as follows in regards to the upcoming Weinstein Company releases:

-"The Master" will be the big Oscar player, even if I don't see it contending for the win in Best Picture. The stature of "There Will Be Blood" has only grown since its release, so I think there is a feeling that Anderson is one of the few genuine auteurs working right now. And despite Joaquin Phoenix's prominence in the trailers that leads me to believe he's the lead (or at least a co-lead), something tells me that he'll be campaigned as supporting in order to position him for a win.

-"Django Unchained" might grab a few nominations, but I frankly think this is going to be more "Kill Bill" than "Inglourious Basterds" (which isn't a bad thing, just a non-Oscary thing). DiCaprio seems to be the film's best bet in the major categories, and I think a DiCaprio vs. Phoenix race in Best Supporting Actor looks like it could happen.

-"Killing Them Softly" will get mostly positive but generally mixed reviews. However, I'm sure it will get at least a few very passionate raves, which may result in some notable top 10 placements at the end of the year. Still, I don't expect much of it Oscar-wise.

-"Silver Linings Playbook" doesn't immediately scream "Best Picture" to me, and while I'll be happy to be wrong about this, I think the Oscar success of Russell's last movie was something of a fluke, since his movies are usually much less conventional than "The Fighter," and he's not a very well liked person in Hollywood. I can see it getting an acting nod or two, and possibly an Adapted Screenplay nomination, but my gut tells me that this could be this year's "Young Adult."

-"Lawless" will get mostly positive reviews but with only a few raves and will be largely forgotten by the time the precursor season starts.

Again, these are all just semi-educated guesses, but that's what I'm feeling now.
June 28, 2012 at 4:22PM EST Reply to Comment
- Arty The most recent Master trailer explicitly gives Joaquin Phoenix top billing for the film. If there's a co-lead for Harvey to sneak into supporting, it's got to be PSH.
  June 30, 2012 at 8:46AM EST
DylanS

Kris: Just to clarify, were you suggesting that Jennifer Lawrence is phoning in her performance here. I just want to make sure I read that right, because I didn't get that vibe from the trailer.
June 30, 2012 at 6:18PM EST Reply to Comment