May 1, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 25 ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ benefits from great chemistry by Dennis Seuling “Silver Linings Playbook” (Anchor Bay) is a comedy/drama in which all cinematic elements come together to form magic. Bipolar Pat (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from the psych ward where he was sent for beating up a man. He returns to his Philadelphia childhood home and parents Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Julie Weaver) determined to win back the wife who left him. The younger Pat struggles with his emotions, which are kept in not-too-reliable check by an assortment of medications. He meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman with a history of her own. Tiffany agrees to help Pat win back his former wife if he agrees to be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. Cooper and Lawrence make what might have been a so-so movie shine. Their onscreen chemistry sparkles and makes their on-again, off-again romantic sparring great fun to watch. De Niro is excellent as the father who tries to understand his son’s manic-depressive illness and support him, while being frustrated whenever Pat Jr. lapses into moods or gets into fights. This is De Niro’s best role in a long time. All four principal actors were nominated for Academy Awards (Lawrence won for Best Actress). The Blu-ray edition contains deleted scenes, Q&A highlights, dance rehearsal footage, and making-of featurette. A DVD edition is also available. “The Guilt Trip “ (Paramount Home Entertainment) stars Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen as mother and son who set out on a cross-country road trip as awkward entrepreneur Andrew (Rogen) pitches a new cleaning product to wholesalers. Andrew’s plan in taking along his widowed mom, Joyce, is to reunite her with a former young love who is now living in San Francisco. If they meet and rekindle their long-ago romance, hopefully Joyce will quit focusing all her attention on Andrew and stop her Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence discuss their troubled lives in ‘Silver Linings Playbook.’ endless henpecking. Most of the film’s gags are based on Andrew’s embarrassment at traveling with his overbearing mother. The film is a sweet comedy with Streisand actually working at portraying a real character rather than a caricature. More subdued than one might expect, she lets the writing do its job and never pushes too hard with the jokes. Rogen is not his usual bawdy goof. He elicits empathy as a smart man unable to sell his product or himself. There is none of the R-rated language and off-color humor associated with his other screen work. Director Anne Fletcher balances screen time equally between Rogen and Streisand. Blu-ray bonus features include alternate openings and endings, several deleted scenes, a gag reel, a making-of short, profiles of Streisand and Rogen, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. “The Notebook Collector’s Gift Set” (New Line), based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, is a story of lost chances, growing up, and the power of enduring love. Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks -- country boy Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and 17-year-old heiress Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) -- fall in love during the summer of 1940 in coastal South Carolina, but are tragically forced apart. When they reunite seven years later, their passionate romance is rekindled, forcing one of them to choose between true love and class order. The film switches back and forth between the present and the past. The aging Noah and Allie are played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands. This romantic drama is soap opera at its emotional, syrupy best, and the four leads are all excellent. This was Gosling’s starmaking vehicle, and he convinces as both the young Noah and the more mature version. Director Nick Cassavetes captures the ‘40s nicely with lush cinematography, picturesque settings, and period music. The time period also makes the fuss about social class comprehensible. Bonuses on the deluxe combo pack include deleted scenes, commentary by director Nick Cassavetes and novelist Nicholas Sparks, Rachel McAdams’ screen test, four featurettes, a postcard set with scenes from the film, a leather-style blank journal with gold edging and ribbon marker, and an antique golden locket. (continued on Crossword page) �������������������� Monday-Thursday 11:30-9:30 • Friday 11:30-10:00 • Saturday 5:00-10:00 Piano Music on Wednesday & Saturday evenings Swing Time, American Songbook - Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 22, 29 The Bucket List - Friday, May 10 Betty Liste - Wednesday, May 15 American Expression - Friday, May 24 Book Your Special Event - Private Party Room Available 118 Berkshire Ave., Paterson, NJ • 973.942.1750 www.cortinarestaurant.com 5-1-13 ester/janine Cortina3x3(4Names)(5-1-13) 3 x 3” Rev1