Silver Linings Playbook (Film 21)
Everyone has an interesting family. Everyone has family stories. Everyone has a history. Everyone is trying to figure their own shit out.
And I've never been one to talk about my own family very much. Not until now, when I figured the best avenue to speak of them would be through a public forum such as a blog.
We've never been that close as an entire unit. Yes, my dad and I are close (always have been, I guess you could say, based on the stories I've already shared, but I would say we didn't truly become close until I was an adult and we were in separate houses; the same could be said for the relationship I have with my sister- we didn't become close until she was in college; and my mother and I have never really been close, by my standards, then she left our family when I was 16, going on 17, and I held a grudge against her for the decisions she made for approximately 8 years). A lot happened to lead me to that decision to cut ties with my mother, and I know I probably come/came off like a jerk during that entire stint, but there's only one person, close friend, who is familiar with the struggle I went through as a child/teenager which would then help understand the dynamic of the relationship, or lack thereof, between my mother and I.
I struggle to remember much of my childhood (really anything from around 12 years old and younger is lost to me). I can vaguely remember details and stories if someone were to reminisce. And now, with the passing of my most recent relationship, I've been forced to confront some things about my family that I thought I'd truly dealt with, but realized it was important to look deeper within my family. We've all got secrets. Skeletons in the closet.
"Silver Linings Playbook" is a movie about confrontation, and a little about denial, and very much about mental illness. Some of the scenes were uncomfortable for me to watch, because they brought back memories of what it was like growing up with a mother who was bi-polar and Obsessive Complusive. I remember, as a kid, being in the car with my mom and my sister and my mom would turn the car around, no matter where we were, if she thought she kept something (like the iron or the coffeepot) on. She would triple-check all the locks when leaving the house. When my sister and I wanted to be somewhat cruel, we would mess with her and mention that maybe we thought the iron was still on or whatever else came to mind. Cruel, I know. It soon grew to control her very much, though, and it wasn't funny anymore. Her view of mental illness ended up sort of tearing our family apart. I've grown up knowing that we all have our own issues, some deeper and stronger than others, and it's certainly not something to laugh/scoff at, but instead perhaps try to understand. I'm also strongly opposed to using it as a crutch or a definition of who you are.
Bradley Cooper plays Pat with great ease (swinging wildly in and out of moods). When we first meet him, he is overly confident and upbeat, especially for someone being dismissed (against hospital wishes) for a mental institution. He presents himself well, but if you know anyone with a mental illness, specifically bi-polar, you know that any little thing could be the lethal dose that sends them over the edge. Here, it is Pat and his wife's wedding song, which, when heard is his Kryptonite! Everyone has a few things that trigger memories of past relationships. For me- I can't hear Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You into the Dark" or Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" without thinking of my first girlfriend. It is in how we deal with those triggers that sets us apart from people with mental illnesses. Do we avoid all these triggers? Or do we learn to breathe and think of other things? Is that avoidance? Pat also loses it when he is trying to find his wedding video, which he believes his parents (his father is played by Robert De Niro, who has his own mental illness- OCD- but he plays it off as just being a Philadelphia Eagles' fanatic). There is an important bet made on a specific Eagles game, as well as a dance contest that Tiffany has roped Pat into entering with her. We, as the audience, know the dance contest is a film convention to get the two love interests to spend time together, to get to know each other, and thus fall in love. Tiffany uses Pat's mental illness to her advantage several times, but you understand why and you are rooting for her and for Pat to see "the light." You want these two crazy people to love each other because in a way they deserve each other. It's clear they make each other happy, and as Tiffany explains in the "bet making" scene- the Eagles and Phillies win when she and Pat are together. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.
In a great scene where Jennifer Lawrence (who plays Tiffany so well, I found myself, yet again, falling in love with a "crazy" girl) sees his trigger getting to him and decides to exasperate it by yelling at him after a failed attempt on her part to have a first date, suddenly she realizes just how fucked up he truly is, she attempts that she shouldn't have messed with him. But she's crazy, too, so how does she know.
I love that Jennifer Lawrence's character Tiffany attempts to not being perfect, exactly the opposite of that actually, right from the start. I appreciate David O. Russell for steering away from making Tiffany a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, because I don't think Lawrence would have fit into that role. She has her own issues. She's tough. She presents herself with a shell that apparently only another fucked up individual can crack. I loved every scene she was in because she really lets loose and I can see why she won a Golden Globe for her performance. I won't ruin the film for you by telling you how things play out between Tiffany and Pat, but let's just say that they use each other, knowing that they are each all the other has, and that they each have a value to the other.
This film, perhaps, in anyone else's hands other than David O. Russell could have fallen into the conventional Hollywood love-story, but Russell pulls it off well, straying from the "expected" journey of the characters and takes the audience on a decent ride with excellent acting, dialogue, and moments of intensity to how inflicting mental illness can be on someone that it leaves you almost feeling like a part of the family, but not willing to admit you might be just as fucked-up as these characters, in your own way. Russell's last Oscar-worthy film "The Fighter" also took a closer look at familial relationships, which I also really enjoyed, because you feel for the characters. I would recommend watching both these films, because I think Russell is on to something by inviting us into the lives of people that could be like us or like people we may know.
And I've never been one to talk about my own family very much. Not until now, when I figured the best avenue to speak of them would be through a public forum such as a blog.
We've never been that close as an entire unit. Yes, my dad and I are close (always have been, I guess you could say, based on the stories I've already shared, but I would say we didn't truly become close until I was an adult and we were in separate houses; the same could be said for the relationship I have with my sister- we didn't become close until she was in college; and my mother and I have never really been close, by my standards, then she left our family when I was 16, going on 17, and I held a grudge against her for the decisions she made for approximately 8 years). A lot happened to lead me to that decision to cut ties with my mother, and I know I probably come/came off like a jerk during that entire stint, but there's only one person, close friend, who is familiar with the struggle I went through as a child/teenager which would then help understand the dynamic of the relationship, or lack thereof, between my mother and I.
I struggle to remember much of my childhood (really anything from around 12 years old and younger is lost to me). I can vaguely remember details and stories if someone were to reminisce. And now, with the passing of my most recent relationship, I've been forced to confront some things about my family that I thought I'd truly dealt with, but realized it was important to look deeper within my family. We've all got secrets. Skeletons in the closet.
"Silver Linings Playbook" is a movie about confrontation, and a little about denial, and very much about mental illness. Some of the scenes were uncomfortable for me to watch, because they brought back memories of what it was like growing up with a mother who was bi-polar and Obsessive Complusive. I remember, as a kid, being in the car with my mom and my sister and my mom would turn the car around, no matter where we were, if she thought she kept something (like the iron or the coffeepot) on. She would triple-check all the locks when leaving the house. When my sister and I wanted to be somewhat cruel, we would mess with her and mention that maybe we thought the iron was still on or whatever else came to mind. Cruel, I know. It soon grew to control her very much, though, and it wasn't funny anymore. Her view of mental illness ended up sort of tearing our family apart. I've grown up knowing that we all have our own issues, some deeper and stronger than others, and it's certainly not something to laugh/scoff at, but instead perhaps try to understand. I'm also strongly opposed to using it as a crutch or a definition of who you are.
Bradley Cooper plays Pat with great ease (swinging wildly in and out of moods). When we first meet him, he is overly confident and upbeat, especially for someone being dismissed (against hospital wishes) for a mental institution. He presents himself well, but if you know anyone with a mental illness, specifically bi-polar, you know that any little thing could be the lethal dose that sends them over the edge. Here, it is Pat and his wife's wedding song, which, when heard is his Kryptonite! Everyone has a few things that trigger memories of past relationships. For me- I can't hear Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You into the Dark" or Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" without thinking of my first girlfriend. It is in how we deal with those triggers that sets us apart from people with mental illnesses. Do we avoid all these triggers? Or do we learn to breathe and think of other things? Is that avoidance? Pat also loses it when he is trying to find his wedding video, which he believes his parents (his father is played by Robert De Niro, who has his own mental illness- OCD- but he plays it off as just being a Philadelphia Eagles' fanatic). There is an important bet made on a specific Eagles game, as well as a dance contest that Tiffany has roped Pat into entering with her. We, as the audience, know the dance contest is a film convention to get the two love interests to spend time together, to get to know each other, and thus fall in love. Tiffany uses Pat's mental illness to her advantage several times, but you understand why and you are rooting for her and for Pat to see "the light." You want these two crazy people to love each other because in a way they deserve each other. It's clear they make each other happy, and as Tiffany explains in the "bet making" scene- the Eagles and Phillies win when she and Pat are together. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.
In a great scene where Jennifer Lawrence (who plays Tiffany so well, I found myself, yet again, falling in love with a "crazy" girl) sees his trigger getting to him and decides to exasperate it by yelling at him after a failed attempt on her part to have a first date, suddenly she realizes just how fucked up he truly is, she attempts that she shouldn't have messed with him. But she's crazy, too, so how does she know.
I love that Jennifer Lawrence's character Tiffany attempts to not being perfect, exactly the opposite of that actually, right from the start. I appreciate David O. Russell for steering away from making Tiffany a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, because I don't think Lawrence would have fit into that role. She has her own issues. She's tough. She presents herself with a shell that apparently only another fucked up individual can crack. I loved every scene she was in because she really lets loose and I can see why she won a Golden Globe for her performance. I won't ruin the film for you by telling you how things play out between Tiffany and Pat, but let's just say that they use each other, knowing that they are each all the other has, and that they each have a value to the other.
This film, perhaps, in anyone else's hands other than David O. Russell could have fallen into the conventional Hollywood love-story, but Russell pulls it off well, straying from the "expected" journey of the characters and takes the audience on a decent ride with excellent acting, dialogue, and moments of intensity to how inflicting mental illness can be on someone that it leaves you almost feeling like a part of the family, but not willing to admit you might be just as fucked-up as these characters, in your own way. Russell's last Oscar-worthy film "The Fighter" also took a closer look at familial relationships, which I also really enjoyed, because you feel for the characters. I would recommend watching both these films, because I think Russell is on to something by inviting us into the lives of people that could be like us or like people we may know.
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