The movie Silver Linings Playbook (2012) is about a man who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Following the movie “The Fighter,” about the grueling journey of a boxer and his drug-addicted sibling, David O. Russell took up the adaptation of Matthew Quick’s tragicomic novel. The subject of the book is personal to the filmmaker, who has spent years helping his son who suffers from a mental illness. After discovering his wife’s betrayal and beating his lover, the family decided to intern him for a year. He returns to live in his parents’ house, is trying to overcome and rebuild his life. Throughout the narrative, Pat meets Tiffany, who is also dealing with her mental illness due to her husband’s death. Tiffany helps Pat try to talk to his wife if he participates in a dance competition with her.
At every moment in the movie, Pat and Tiffany demonstrate behavior changes due to mental illness and confusion with Pat’s parents, alerting the police and neighbors. Pat and Tiffany also talk about medicines and their side effects, having fun, and creating a connection between the two. In the course of training for a dance competition, they find that they are a good match for each other, and a glimmer of hope appears in both their lives. Pat yet at all times denying that he is feeling for Tiffany. In the end, the two realized that they were dependent on each other when dealing with their illnesses and discovered that they should exist and ended up loving each other.
Although the movie does not present the realistic depiction, Silver Linings Playbook drives the public to a romantic comedy and drama story, which includes exceptional actors and a sensitive and warm emotional appeal. Moreover, the movie brilliantly depicts the hardships of living with mental disorders. It became one of the best movies on the topic, disguised in light, comedian style narrative, but in reality, depicting a multifaceted, complex set of emotions, visions, and issues.
Bradley Cooper, who has established himself as a superb actor who exclusively appears in good films, plays the lead role. Pat, the protagonist, is a sympathetic character. The film brilliantly depicts his struggle for love, as well as his mood swings. Pat is working hard to improve his situation. He reads literature, tries to interact with others through sports, and attends therapy. He does everything he can to begin a new life. But everyone looks down on him, seeing him as a deranged psychopath.
When you observe Pat’s parents’ conduct, you can see why he suffered a mental breakdown. Pat’s father suffers from a condition that is comparable to Pat’s. He’s abrasive, anxious and obsessed with soccer. A mother who throws tantrums frequently and an older brother who is the ideal child for parents. In the view of the family, Pat is a loser. Furthermore, Pat’s buddies have their own issues, and his doctor isn’t opposed to drinking. Pat strikes with his spontaneity, his disagreement with the bothersome system’s viewpoint, and we watch how his sentiments battle within him throughout the film as he attempts to live with a dreadful fixation (Wilde, 2019). Pat the Dissent, Pat the Responsible, and, towards the film’s conclusion, Pat the Loving were all brilliantly depicted by Bradley Cooper.
Tiffany is played by Jennifer Lawrence, a young lady who is ‘not all right with her mind’ and whose spouse died, yet she still wears a wedding ring. Pat was drawn to her persona because of her minor insanity. Tiffany is far from irresponsible; in fact, she is a very clever girl who is attempting to assist Pat to calm down his terrible ardor by demonstrating to him that she requires him like air, that she lives for them, and that they are the only ones who exist (Wilde, 2019). Tiffany avoids Pat’s romance and love for literature in favor of a outing with all of her co-workers, where she dreams of a dancing competition. Their antics make the picture twice as humorous and romantic, and their interactions and dialogues are the film’s major draw.
This picture has the ability to elicit a wide range of emotions. It is a tight, marvelously vital, and true dramatic section of the lives of a few people who are compelled to be the black sheep among a swarm of men and women who are all so same. Mental aberrations are different and are a breach of the regular flow of existence, but what if one or more of them helps us comprehend why this or that individual lives and why he does certain things (Wilde, 2019). This is precisely what the characters in this movie go through. They make an effort to live normally but in their own unique way, putting family members in the circumstances they have never encountered before (Wilde, 2019). ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ is an excellent picture that skillfully portrays the emotions of melodrama, drama, and humor in a variety of forms.
Almost every encounter in the film has an undercurrent of pain. Despite the fact that his ex-wife has a restraining order against him, Pat is constantly looking for a silver lining. In terms of emotions, Silver Linings Playbook can be compared to a splintered colourful flash that knocks off suddenly (Wilde, 2019). Pat and Tiffany stroll among the emotionally wounded, frequently staggering. Tiffany pursues Pat, proudly prodding him until he succumbs. The film follows the same pattern, waiting till there is a ‘happy’ conclusion that pimps when it should be feeling transitory.
This is a clever, genuine, and in a good sense ridiculous film – frivolous not because of the plot’s insignificance, but because of the laws of the light genre in which it operates. Everyone is immoral in some manner, but to a bigger level, all of the personalities are just amusing (Wilde, 2019). The world into which Pat emerges from a mental facility proves to be insane by actions of almost everyone. Sometimes it is questionable, whether Pat and Tiffany have disorders, or the others.
The film is a romantic comedy, and it talks about the seriousness of the associated mental illnesses. The characters through dance as a treatment to deal with his mental illness accurately represent what people use to help distract their struggles, especially in Pat’s case, where he couldn’t stop overreacting to moments of his and her life. Overall, this movie portrays that having a mental illness such as bipolar disorder can affect individuals and their loved ones. The psychological aspect of the story is the most essential. The protagonist’s realization of his inner world is set against the backdrop of the birth of love (Wilde, 2019). Pat searches for a place in his new life via the lens of his personal and familial concerns. This is a touching and meaningful narrative that isn’t cheesy. It makes emotional connections but doesn’t play with them. This wise selection helps avoid clichés and stamps. We need to be aware of the psychological disturbances that surround us. The cast did a great job in their roles, engaging the audience with real-life situations. The Silver Linings Playbook is a remarkable film that recalls the mental illness society that exists in the world and that people often disbelieve or doubt.
The film also clearly portrays the concept of preserving family values and affection for relatives, from Pat’s neurotic fixation with his wife to simple admonition not to ruin the created bliss. The film’s minor characters are going through a family problem, but Pat gives his friend a moral lesson, stressing that what is lost in a second cannot be rebuilt in many years. It is a well-known narrative, but the film wraps it in an interesting context, which makes it more attractive.
The movie ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ became one of the best of its kind in terms of depicting the issue of mental disorders, but at the same time eliciting warm and down-to-earth emotions. Wrapped in Hollywood mainstream drama/comedy genre, in reality, it turns out to be a brilliant, descriptive diary of people who suffer from mental disorders. Despite the obstacles and pressure from society, they manage to find love and be happy. The main characters, Pat and Tiffany, explored out deeply and versatile. Not least because of the talent of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, we were able to connect ourselves with their characters. It is fascinating to watch the development of both of them, at the end resulting in the harmonious (to some extent) couple, expressing sincere love, which no one was expecting from them. Emotionally, this movie combines different genres, which turns out to be a perfect blend. The film is a romantic comedy, but it addresses the reality of the mental diseases that accompany it. The character’s use of dancing as a remedy for his mental condition is a realistic picture of what people do to divert themselves from their problems.
Reference
Wilde, A. (2019). Mental Distress, Romance and Gender in Contemporary Films: Greenberg and Silver Linings Playbook. In The Routledge Companion to Disability and Media (pp. 67-77). Routledge.