Released on November 16th in limited theaters around the country, Silver Linings Playbook has brought in over $14 million in the box office. With later release dates in other American movie theaters, this film is sure to do well. Silver Linings features a star studded cast with big names Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Jennifer Lawrence –just coming off her film success as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games . “Having actors who have already been in big hits is what made the movie more attractive, and is one of the reasons I decided to see it. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert Di Nero all made the movie more enjoyable to watch,” says Scott Maurer, who saw the movie over Thanksgiving break. The movie itself revolves around the issue of mental illness as Pat Solitano (Cooper) comes to grips with his wife Nikki’s unfaithfulness. Coming home early from work one day, Pat walks into his bathroom to find Nikki having sex with a teacher from her school. Pat, who suffers from bipolar disorder, nearly beats the man to death. He is admitted to a mental health facility for eight months and, despite everything that has happened, still does not think he needs medicine to help his conditions. As the movie progresses, the viewer learns that Pat and Nikki have separated. In spite of Nikki getting a restraining order against him, Pat remains relentless in his efforts to win her back. Self-conscious of his weight, Pat runs around his neighborhood wearing a garbage bag over his sweat suit in an effort to maintain his self-image. Pat later meets a woman named Tiffany at his neighbor Ronnie’s dinner party. Tiffany is Ronnie’s sister-in-law and recently lost her husband along with her job. Suffering from similar neuroses, Tiffany and Pat quickly become friends. Because Tiffany and Nikki are acquaintances, Pat sees an opportunity with her. Pat asks Tiffany if she will deliver a letter to Nikki. She agrees, but offers some stipulations. Tiffany says she will only deliver Pat’s letter if he helps her out too— thus, Pat must participate in a dance competition with her. Towards the end of the movie, though, there is a twist. Pat’s dad, Pat Sr. (De Niro) makes a double or nothing bet with one of his friends. In order to get his money back, the Eagles must win their game the following weekend and Nikki and Pat must score above a five in their dance competition. Pat is reluctant to compete in the competition under these circumstances. Therefore, Tiffany must convince Pat to show up for the competition. In order to do so, Tiffany has Nikki write him another letter. In this letter, Nikki writes about how proud of Pat she is for his self-improvement. Nikki also states that she will be in attendance at the dance competition, so that she can see how well he is doing. The big day of the competition finally arrives—along with a few unexpected twists. The viewer finds out that Nikki really hasn’t been writing the letters to Pat. Tiffany has been pretending to be Pat’s ex-wife the whole time. Tiffany wrote Pat a fake letter from Nikki, knowing that the only way he would be at the competition is if he thought Nikki would be there to watch. At this point, the plot takes another turn as Nikki, invited by Ronnie’s wife, actually shows up at the competition. Will Pat find out that Tiffany forged the letters? Or will he end up back with Nikki, his ex-wife? The only way to find out is to go and see Silver Linings Playbook ! “The ending of Silver Linings Playbook was way better than I expected” commented Seton Senior Katarina Gay. “I did not see the double-or-nothing bet coming. I’ve always loved sports movies and I dance, so I really liked that the bet depended on an Eagles’ win and a dance competition. The ending made this movie unique from others.” What was Erika LaRosa’s reason for seeing the movie? “I didn’t know anything about the movie really, but Bradley Cooper is hot, so I wanted to see it!” said the XU soccer commit from Seton. Finally, Jake Brunner, who also has seen Silver Linings Playbook , had this to say about the movie: “It was a lot better than I expected it to be. I was laughing the whole time. (it was) Definitely worth the money.” Clearly the movie bodes well with both Elder and Seton students. I for one, after seeing this movie, would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, or Robert De Niro or also for anyone interested in watching a good movie during the holiday season.