If you have any love in you heart for Robert De Niro, this is a no-brainer. May I first say (because it's important) that he wears red checkered pants and track jackets and little cardigan sweaters and striped pajamas, and he is hilarious and heartbreaking and the rawest I've seen him in years. I'll also add that this ain't no Meet the Parents, but there are moments you'll be chuckling because he is just so good in that Dad role (and countless moments when you don't know whether to laugh or cry). Also, it's rare to find yourself watching an up-and-coming (yet already somehow beyond-her-years-accomplished) actress give Robert De Niro's character the what's what in such a way that the beloved veteran stands speechless. Jennifer Lawrence absolutely grabbed my balls. And I believe she will grab your balls too, because she absolutely nails it. She's wounded and a bit dangerous and you're afraid of her, but you want to hug her at the same time.
Bradley Cooper was my biggest concern, and the reason why I almost didn't watch the movie at all (I know I'm not alone in this). But I will tell you a miracle happened, and somehow, without my consent, he had me believing him at one of the earliest scenes of the movie, where he reads the entirety of A Farewell to Arms in one sitting and proceeds to go on a rampage (to his parents in the middle of the night) about Ernest Hemingway and unhappy endings. I honestly can't imagine anyone else playing his role (I'm serious), and I will admit here to everyone who reads this that he completely won me over big time. All of the supporting characters are charming (even a little Julia Stiles), and the movie screams the question of what it means to be "normal," how we're all suffering because we're all of us human beings, and it's even got some dance moves. My heart if full of love for this film, and I can't find the words to express how much. See it for yourself and I promise you'll know why.
