After the debacle of making Nailed – a movie that got shut down by funders (or lack thereof) twice – it’s almost a miracle that David O. Russell still wants to make movies. But he’s diving back in with The Silver Lining Playbook, based on the novel by Matthew Quick. And it sounds right up his alley. From Amazon:
Pat Peoples, the endearing narrator of this touching and funny debut,
is down on his luck. The former high school history teacher has just
been released from a mental institution and placed in the care of his
mother. Not one to be discouraged, Pat believes he has only been on the
inside for a few months––rather than four years––and plans on
reconciling with his estranged wife. Refusing to accept that their
apart time is actually a permanent separation, Pat spends his days and
nights feverishly trying to become the man she had always desired. Our
hapless hero makes a friend in Tiffany, the mentally unstable, widowed
sister-in-law of his best friend, Ronnie. Each day as Pat heads out for
his 10-mile run, Tiffany silently trails him, refusing to be shaken off
by the object of her affection. The odd pair try to navigate a timid
friendship, but as Pat is unable to discern friend from foe and reality
from deranged optimism, every day proves to be a cringe-worthy
adventure.
The irony is that after the hassle of Nailed O. Russell is still playing in a very shallow funding pool. He’s set this movie up at the Weinstein Co. (his first film with Harvey since Flirting With Disaster), who have been sort of on the edge recently. If local gossip is to be believed, anyway. It’ll be interesting to see what the budget on this one looks like.
Now where the heck is Nailed?