Wahlberg and Russell Together Again for “The Silver Lining Playbook”

We were dubious when we first heard about David O. Russell directing an underdog sports movie, so we'll give Mark Wahlberg the benefit of the doubt as a former mental patient trying to piece his life back together.

Russell and Wahlberg are reuniting for an adaptation of Matthew Quick's "The Silver Lining Playbook," reported Variety.

Here's the synopsis for "Silver Linings" from Barnes & Noble:

During the years he spends in a neural health facility, Pat Peoples formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. When Pat goes to live with his parents, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends are saddled with families; the Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, making his father moody; and his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy.

When Pat meets the tragically widowed and clinically depressed Tiffany, she offers to act as a liaison between him and his wife, if only he will give up watching football, agree to perform in this year’s Dance Away Depression competition, and promise not to tell anyone about their “contract.” All the while, Pat keeps searching for his silver lining.

Russell and Wahlberg have made two excellent films together--"The Fighter" and "Three Kings"--and Russell teased out of Wahlberg the best performance of his career in the otherwise dreadful "I (Heart) Huckabees." Until they turn in an unqualified dog, they've got our attention--no matter how dubious the project sounds.

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