Silver Linings Playbook Review

Follow these complicated, honest and strangely lovable characters on their journey to a silver lining.

Silver Linings Playbook is David O’Russell’s risky venture into the idea of creating a comedy-drama based on characters with mental illnesses. 

If you’re reading the word ‘comedy’ and assuming that this is a lighthearted movie to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon; you’re wrong. You’re also wrong if you think that mental illness is shoved aside to make way for cliché romantic moments. Yes, the movie’s lack of innocence and naivety makes the characters seem harsh and brutal at the best of times, but it’s no wonder Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Actress. 

Set in Philadelphia, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is on the road to recovery after a nervous breakdown. He insists that he is absolutely fine as he tackles his overbearing Mother (Jacki Weaver), who’s only flaw is that she cares too much, and his OCD-denying Father (Jack Nicholson). 

As you can imagine, for a man who has been diagnosed as bipolar and is still in therapy to control his illness, being in a household where he feels smothered is not exactly comforting. 

“O’Russell refuses to dance around the subject"

In modern society with social media playing a key role in many lives, mental illness is often romanticised but O’Russell refuses to dance around the subject and instead showcases that you have to save yourself, which is exactly what Pat sets out to do. His sole motivation is the idea of finding a silver lining, and he is utterly determined to get his pre-breakdown life back.

Denial is a key theme throughout the movie but much more so for the first part, until a widowed and emotionally-broken Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) comes into the picture and throws a barrier in Pat’s mission. 

Tiffany seemingly dominates every situation that her and Pat find themselves in and comes across as intimidating to begin with, but it’s soon discovered that it is her need to control everything after her husband’s death that is her problem. She represents an inner battle between not opening up easily at all but then unleashing her feelings out of the blue, no matter how blunt her words are. 

The biggest thing that stands out in this movie is the fact that every single character is deeply flawed. This ultimately provides viewers with comfort, safe in the knowledge that whatever issue you have, even if you think it’s all in your head, somebody out there is dealing with it too. 

This movie was released in 2012, meaning that I was only 15 years old and didn’t have as strong an understanding of mental illness. In all honesty, I only watched it as a result of my love for both Cooper and Lawrence at the time. It could be argued that the actors seem rigid and everything feels forced, at least that was fifteen-year-old-me’s opinion, but on my second viewing and after having a deeper understanding of mental illness I realised that these are purely the traits of their characters, and both lead actors actually do a phenomenal job both at representing how mental illness effects an individual and their relationships with their loved ones. 

“this is a rare gem that left me feeling oddly refreshed by the end of it"

Pat’s trigger, and the thing that takes him right back to where he was, is his wedding song. It’s not all bad and the song ends up being the turnaround for his and Tiffany’s relationship and they share a moment where it’s suddenly clear that she’s the only one who truly understands him because she’s been there too, she’s lost people and been put on medication and been judged for her illness. 

There are so many subliminal messages throughout the movie that are hard-hitting and if people pay close attention, they could learn a thing or two. The one that stood out to me was when Tiffany says “you think that i’m crazier than you”; her disgust and the huge blow-out that follows highlights that mental illness isn’t a competition. These characters are equally flawed, and at no point is one made out to be more mentally ill than the other. One person’s mental illness does not outweigh someone else’s, mental illness is not prioritised based on how severe it is or how noticeable to other people.

I am a huge lover of quotes, and they are squeezed in one after the other. Everything uttered from the mouths of Pat and Tiffany is relatable yet so far from clichè, showing writing in it’s finest form. It’s not often that I can watch a movie and cling on to every word, but this is a rare gem that left me feeling oddly refreshed by the end of it. 

Pat starts this journey to finding a silver lining as a lone wolf and when Tiffany comes along and he realises that he’s not crazy and that he’s not alone, his road to recovery heads off on a tangent. As these beautifully flawed characters developed, so did my personal sense of awareness and ability to open myself up to understand them and even myself. 

I never expected a “comedy-drama” based on mental illness to work but O’Russell, his crew and this all-star cast carry it out perfectly.

If you’re looking for a raw, emotional movie that will leave you heartbroken, angry, bitter but also uplifted, motivated and passionate, look no further; Silver Linings Playbook is the one for you.

You can buy the DVD on Amazon for £4.94!