Silver Linings PlaybookLiving with a chemical imbalance is hard enough; coping with the repercussions of a violent episode after discovering a loved one's infidelity the equivalent of a compound fracture. That's what happens to Patrick "Pat" Solitano, Jr. (Bradley Cooper), whose desperate efforts to cope with this following his release from a state-mandated stay at a mental institution has him barely treading water. When a dinner party hosted by a friend brings him into contact with the young widow, Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), their initially rocky friendship blossoms as he discovers what therapy he really needed.
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Silver Linings Playbook is a story about seeing clearly. I know that seems vague, but for Pat, that's really the medicine he needs. He comes out of the hospital obsessed with his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), convinced that if he adheres to a regimen of exercise, positive feelings (regardless if they are forced), and becoming knowledgeable about the syllabus she teaches at the school where they both used to work, she will take him back. For any guy whose been dumped, the results should be obvious, but Pat suffers from delusions brought on by his heretofore undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Note that Pat is institutionalized not because he is bipolar, but because of the assault; all the same, after his release, everyone treats him a little different. Some people are afraid of him, others like his parents, Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and Pat, Sr. (Robert DeNiro), are pleasant enough, but just don't know how to react to the idea of their son being "crazy". It's a strange place that Pat finds himself in after he returns to the so-called normal world, and he knows it. Pat's pushed by his psychologist, Dr. Cliff Patel (Anupam Kher), to take his medication, and Pat is monitored by Officer Keogh (Dash Mihok), who clings to him like a shadow to deter Pat from violating the restraining order against him. Cliff insists that Pat have a "strategy" to cope not with his chemical imbalance, but with his life as a whole. For Pat, the real problem is his resistance to move forward and accept that his relationship with Nikki ended before the assault on her lover and Pat's subsequent incarceration. There is a sense that people don't know how to really behave around Pat anymore, as if his episode has forced them to keep him in a compartmentalized place--it's not uncommon for people to do this when confronted by those suffering from mental illness. Silver Linings Playbook is very keen on putting us in the mind of someone like Pat, someone who feels alienated by the perception of him as a crazy person. Pat's unspoken awareness of this can be felt in ways, such as why he wears a garbage bag when he goes running; he claims it has to do with "sweat", but the truth is that he feels like he is being treated like garbage, so he might as well look the part. Even released from his lockdown in the psych ward, he feels like a prisoner, consigned to stay away from his former job and home, and condescended to by those around him who do so with the guarded apprehension of diffusing a time bomb. There are subtle moments and actions by fellows like his father or his brother, Jake (Shea Whigham), that make the feeling of displacement in this world more pronounced. The rare person who doesn't fit this mold is Tiffany, who acts largely as crazy as Pat, yet their mutual feelings make them comparable to one another. She is effectively the reflection for Pat, a complimentary part, like a broken dinner plate split down the middle, the pieces fitting together as one.
While Pat may try to convince himself that he's able to control his mania (which is played up more than the depression in the film) by fixating on a positive outlook--seeking the "silver linings" in all things--it's little more than another delusion. An incident where a frustrated and manic Pat searches for his wedding video at three in the morning leads to a violent altercation, including fist fights and the police, waking the neighborhood in a humiliating display. It is a startlingly convincing scene, chillingly realistic and underscoring the real danger lurking within the dynamic that exists when someone has a chemical imbalance; it's like a seemingly calm ocean, deceptively deep beneath the surface. The real change for Pat starts following his continued visits with Tiffany, after she coerces him into partnering with her for a dance competition, something her late husband wouldn't participate in. Though Tiffany manipulates Pat into believing that by helping her, she will secretly deliver a letter to Pat's estranged wife, their mutual effort to contain their respective demons comes with the discipline and commitment to preparing for this competition. Pat's aware of the benefits of exercise in gaining focus and control, evidenced by his jogging, but the dancing partnership with Tiffany is much more. Here he connects with someone, and someone who empathizes with him, even if it takes some time for it to sink in. Tiffany opens up to Pat early on, in varied ways, desperately looking to fill the void left behind when her husband passed away, using sex as a coping method--it's an offer she makes to Pat after their dinner party comes to an abrupt end. But after he refuses her advances under the auspices that he's still married, they ironically connect at a more intimate level, by exposing their hearts and insecurities to one another in a more organic way. It's no coincidence that so many of Pat and Tiffany's conversations--especially the most revealing ones--are carried out on the street, in public, as if they are bearing their souls not just to one another, but for the whole world. The key difference that defines Pat and Tiffany versus everyone else is that it is as if what is inside most people gets portrayed externally for them, a social characteristic which stigmatizes them as crazy. Like the final dance routine between Pat and Tiffany, the film is a combination of varied moods, from drama, romance, and even comedy, not unlike life, perfect with all its imperfections.
Recommended for: Fans of a convincing and impassioned portrayal of mental illness and broken hearts, with little artifice, tapping right into the feelings that come with it.
While Pat may try to convince himself that he's able to control his mania (which is played up more than the depression in the film) by fixating on a positive outlook--seeking the "silver linings" in all things--it's little more than another delusion. An incident where a frustrated and manic Pat searches for his wedding video at three in the morning leads to a violent altercation, including fist fights and the police, waking the neighborhood in a humiliating display. It is a startlingly convincing scene, chillingly realistic and underscoring the real danger lurking within the dynamic that exists when someone has a chemical imbalance; it's like a seemingly calm ocean, deceptively deep beneath the surface. The real change for Pat starts following his continued visits with Tiffany, after she coerces him into partnering with her for a dance competition, something her late husband wouldn't participate in. Though Tiffany manipulates Pat into believing that by helping her, she will secretly deliver a letter to Pat's estranged wife, their mutual effort to contain their respective demons comes with the discipline and commitment to preparing for this competition. Pat's aware of the benefits of exercise in gaining focus and control, evidenced by his jogging, but the dancing partnership with Tiffany is much more. Here he connects with someone, and someone who empathizes with him, even if it takes some time for it to sink in. Tiffany opens up to Pat early on, in varied ways, desperately looking to fill the void left behind when her husband passed away, using sex as a coping method--it's an offer she makes to Pat after their dinner party comes to an abrupt end. But after he refuses her advances under the auspices that he's still married, they ironically connect at a more intimate level, by exposing their hearts and insecurities to one another in a more organic way. It's no coincidence that so many of Pat and Tiffany's conversations--especially the most revealing ones--are carried out on the street, in public, as if they are bearing their souls not just to one another, but for the whole world. The key difference that defines Pat and Tiffany versus everyone else is that it is as if what is inside most people gets portrayed externally for them, a social characteristic which stigmatizes them as crazy. Like the final dance routine between Pat and Tiffany, the film is a combination of varied moods, from drama, romance, and even comedy, not unlike life, perfect with all its imperfections.
Recommended for: Fans of a convincing and impassioned portrayal of mental illness and broken hearts, with little artifice, tapping right into the feelings that come with it.