“Silver Linings Playbook” is regarded as David O. Russell’s most personal film. With its blend of comedy, drama, romance, football and dance, the Best Picture-nominated film continues to touch audiences across the world.

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) suffers from bipolar disorder and is released from a mental hospital following an “incident.” He returns to Philadelphia and his obsessive-compulsive, gambling addict, Eagles-obsessed father, Pat senior (Robert De Niro). His mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) tries her best to keep the family from falling apart. Wrongfully convinced his broken marriage will last and improve, Pat struggles to get back on his feet. It is not until he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Academy Award for the role), an equally troubled soul consumed by depression after her husband’s death, that Pat is able to confront his issues by helping Tiffany with her own.

“Silver Linings Playbook” is a film to which we can all relate. The Solitanos remind us of our neighbors, friends and even our own families. Russell’s film is not about people working to sneak hostages out of Iran or pass a monumental amendment. It is about people who want to be happy and need each other to do that. The film teaches us about coping and finding ways through the toughest times in our lives. We are met with tragedies that force us to question the morality of our world, and “Silver Linings Playbook” is one kind of answer.

— Jordan Axelrod