Silver Linings Playbook — A Beautifully Unique Story
“You told your therapist that you were in a superior mental illness category, didn’t you?”
Date watched: July 30th, 2020
Date released: 2012
Director: David O. Russell
Memorable cast: Bradley Cooper (Pat Solitano), Jennifer Lawrence (Tiffany), Robert De Niro (Pat Solitano Sr.), Jacki Weaver (Dolores Solitano), Chris Tucker (Danny)
Awards (won an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Jennifer Lawrence) and was nominated for seven others: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Bradley Cooper), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert De Niro), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Jacki Weaver), Best Achievement in Directing, Best Writing: Adapted Screenplay, and Best Achievement in Film Editing)
This film left me happily surprised. I didn’t know much about it, but I was expecting a depressing love story which I wasn’t really in the mood for at that moment. Instead I saw a realistic depiction of bipolar disorder (articles to check out at the bottom of this review), a story that left me surprised, the beauty of Cooper and Lawrence’s acting capabilities, good cinematography, and a love story that had real development and chemistry.
Being someone who struggles with mental health issues myself, I applaud movies that take the time to accurately depict mental illnesses. I think that because conversations surrounding mental health have been explored more recently, art can be a great way for people with these struggles to feel heard and for others to learn. But, there have been too many stories that have glorified or exaggerated what these illnesses are. These false depictions can leave people to feel ashamed of their struggles or misinformed on what it can be like. I personally do not suffer from bipolar disorder, but from what I’ve read and researched after watching this movie, I’m happy to see that this has been deemed a mostly accurate depiction. This experience has allowed for me to be able to learn more about the disorder.
Not wanting to spoil the story, I’ll vaguely explain how it surprised me. I found myself not always expecting the outcomes that appeared throughout the story and it went in ways I thought they wouldn’t dare explore. I didn’t find myself being able to point out classic rom-com troupes, which is surprising because I’ve watched my fair share of rom-coms. It also included sub-plots that differed from the romances, yet also intertwined in a way that didn’t feel too forced and unnatural. The story was able to present a love story that I felt was deserved and fully developed. A lot of times in romantic movies they want to surprise the audience with the love that has been so obviously shown that by the time it gets to the romantic gesture or ‘I love you’, it doesn’t feel as rewarding. Not to spoil, but the love story (whatever it may be) makes sense. It wasn’t shoved down the audience’s throats, but it also felt natural at the point of romantic gesture. And especially since they are presenting main characters with mental health struggles, I am so thankful it wasn’t one of those ‘we fix each other’ endings. Bipolar disorder is real. Being in love isn’t going to cure it, and I am so happy that was not the route this movie took. At least that was what I though. But, looking at some other reviews, it seems that some people consider that to be the tone of the ending. I personally don’t see it in that way because of all of the struggles that lead up to it’s ending, but I understand why it might be seen that way. I guess that one is up for your interpretation. Still won’t tell you who ends up together though.
Jennifer Lawrence. I’m ashamed to say the only other movies I’ve seen her in were the Hunger Games trilogy. I am very happy I saw her in something else because I don’t think I would have been able to fully experience how talented she is. Obviously, I’m not the only one who thought she did a fantastic job, since she did win an Academy Award for this performance. I think what is so memorable about said performance is how much life she brought into it. Tiffany’s character is pretty eccentric, yet Lawrence was able to depict her in a light that didn’t overwhelm the audience with her presence. Tiffany also felt very three dimensional and I credit a large part of that to Lawrence. Luckily, her acting excellence was met with co-star Bradley Cooper. Again, another actor I sadly haven’t really seen much of. I get the hype though- he was incredible. Reiterating what I said earlier, I think he did a great job of depicting someone with bipolar disorder. I don’t want to repeat myself much, but I think he did a good job of showing the anger people with mental health struggles may experience knowing they cannot always control their actions. Or just anger in general. I imagine it would be really hard to express such an extreme and vulnerable emotion and they both were able to make it seem realistic. Cooper and Lawrence had great chemistry as main characters together. I was worried that with having these two very dynamic and almost larger than life characters it would clash or just not feel right or enjoyable to watch. But, I think the characters and actors meshed well together. They didn’t compliment each other in the sense that they completed, but it worked.
Rating: 8.5/10
This isn’t a movie I can see myself watching over and over again but I really did like this movie and its in my all time favorites list.
Resources about this film’s depiction of mental health: Vulture article, WebMD article, Psychology Today article, The Conversation article
Learn more about bipolar disorder: Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), healthline, National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), Medical News Today.
July 31, 2020