Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Two people meet at a dinner party and spend the evening comparing their medications, and it’s the most honest meet-cute in years. Then the movie slowly turns into a regular rom-com with a dance contest and a football bet, and some of that honesty gets traded for a bow on top. Bradley Cooper plays Pat as a man running on pure, scary optimism, and Jennifer Lawrence plays Tiffany sharp enough to cut glass. Robert De Niro, as the Eagles-obsessed dad who arranges the remotes just right for luck, gives his warmest performance in ages. Chris Tucker pops in like a good-luck charm. David O. Russell’s family scenes are loud, crowded and overlapping, which feels true and is also exhausting. It made $236 million worldwide on a reported $21 million budget. A 7.2 because the people are great and the ending is too neat for what the movie set up. $39.25 says you finish a book with a sad ending this month and want to chuck it out the window.

What works: Lawrence and Cooper have prickly chemistry, and De Niro is funny and touching as a dad who can’t stop trying to manage luck.

What doesn’t: The big finale ties everything up with a dance score and a bet, which feels too tidy for a story about real mental health struggles.

Who it’s for: Rom-com fans who like their couples messy, and anyone whose family gets way too loud on game day.