Silver linings playbook- the plot V/s the performances

The international cinema recently went on a spree to release several box office hits in a row. And these very pieces of art went on to win several awards too, Silver Linings Playbook being one of them.
However, to me, the movie seems to have fallen short of delivering high end entertainment.
The enactments are undoubtedly commendable. There have been great performances delivered by Jennifer Lawrence, who rightfully deserved the Oscar, Bradly Cooper, Anupam Kher and the rest of the cast and crew. Not to forget that the protagonist played by Bradly Cooper, basically just Bradly Cooper, is visually appealing (by saying this I am doing great injustice to all Bradly cooper fans, as ‘visually appealing’ is an understatement).

In spite of all this, and a concept that could make a huge hit, the plot is rather amateurish and mundane. Or should I say, ‘convenient’?
An emotion-inundated bipolar patient- let’s call him ‘X’- is brought back home from an asylum, and is depressed because his wife had cheated on him.  

Very conveniently, he meets another emotion-inundated mental patient of the opposite sex. Let’s call her ‘Y’.

Very conveniently, she has lost her husband as well.

Very conveniently she asks X to participate in a dance competition with her, and he very conveniently agrees (although after a little tiff, conveniently nevertheless). And then there is a twist in the tale. The competition clashes with an important soccer match the family of X has bet on.

But again, very conveniently, the family indulges into a parley- a dual bet on the dance and the match together and the problem is resolved within the blink of an eye,

What happens next need not be explained, and is quite predictable.
All in all, I can say that the director and the script writer have played it successfully safe with a humdrum script, but strong performances. Even with a loose and lacklustre plot, there are scenes that manage to get you to the edge of your seat, as you watch the interesting way the characters behave, and also scenes that increase your expectations of a thrilling turn in the story. The performances are mostly what engross you completely. There are no moments where you get goose bumps or your heart sinks on seeing the protagonists having an emotional break down or you sympathise with them. Yet, you would like to sit throughout the movie and want to know what happens next.

The silver linings playbook has been rather devoid of a silver tinge of x-factor, yet a unique concept and an unusual portrayal of two bipolar patients, are what took away the victor’s cup. Kudos to David O Russel, for his out of the box thinking as far as the characterisation is concerned. Even when the film was about a serious mental disorder, it did not delve into heavy emotional drama and remained rather quirky, in a fun-to-watch kind of way. Guess ‘excelsior’ was taken rather seriously, eh Mr. Russel?
Yet, brownie points to you for pulling off a humdrm script so well and promoting optimism. (Y)