David O. Russell is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood right now. His movie “Silver Linings Playbook” is nominated for eight Academy Awards and has already won Movie of the Year at the American Film Institute Awards.  

Starring a high-caliber cast including Bradley Cooper as a bipolar man struggling to put his life back together, Robert De Niro as his dad, and Jennifer Lawrence as a depressed police officer's widow who ropes him into entering a dance competition, the film has both those really serious moments and wildly humorous ones. One of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year, “Silver Linings Playbook” has earned Oscar nominations in all four acting categories, plus nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. David O. Russell comes to “Starting Point” to talk about movie.

Russell, who has a bipolar son, was inspired by his own personal relationship with his son. “I five years ago was given the book that I based it on, and I was looking for a story that could make my son, who had struggled with mood disorder, feel part of the world, and this is a just real story.” he says. "’Silver Linings’ is what I learned from him.”

Russell even praises Cooper for “becoming” his son in his portrayal. Cooper is but one of the highly talented actors playing powerful roles that make the heart of this film. Russell comments on that. “Characters are what interest me more than anything else. There are a lot of beautiful movies this year. Ours is about performance and characters,” Russell says. “Individual people that I could watch all day, those are the people that inspire and fascinate me.”