Film Class: B
Genre: Drama
Pat (Bradley Cooper) was admitted into a mental instituition for breaking down when he caught his wife in the act of adultery and almost killed her lover, but manages to move back to stay with his mum and dad on condition that he continues therapy. Delusionally hoping to reunite with his wife Nikki and not coming to terms that she has left him, he tries means to get closer to her friends and colleagues, resulting in a restraining order against him. However, a mutual close friend of his might just be his key to getting through to Nikki, or so he thinks. And the only person who could help him is an equally troubled girl by the name of Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence).
Ok, before I try to dissect the subtleties of the storyline, I shall first comment, and commend on the contributing factor to what makes the movie so successful. Plot was "cultist", might not appeal to audience who cannot relate, or feels uncomfortable relating to the topics discussed in this film, but on the surface, both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence performances was praiseworthy and crucial in "selling" the plot. They were both so comfortable on screen it almost feels as if they were just being themselves. Kudos, to these two up and rising Hollywood stars.
I was never a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, and wondered why she was voted the most desirable famous woman of 2013 for AskMen magazine, beating 98 other famous gorgeous looking actresses. She wasn't that great in Hunger Games, or was she?
And she even won an Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook? Well, that was what I thought before watching this movie... but now I know why.
She truly deserves it, the Oscar. And as for the title of most desirable woman, I'm 100% certain it's because of this film as well. She acted so well, was so sluttishly vulnerable, and was this average looking girl who has such a hot developing body with her rounded bosom and perky bottoms, it's no wonder this relatively fresh actress won the hearts, and heads of men.
To win an Oscar, one would need a little luck, and good planning. I've observed over the years that the trend for Oscar nominees tend to be skewed towards those that were released nearer to the cut-off date for the awards, where the audience's memories and experiences of the films are still fresh. Those movies that comes out just after the awards stand a much lower chance of being nominated in the next Oscar, even though they might just be as good, or even better than the winner.
I personally feel there's some biasness, but then again it could just be me, for being sore that 2 of my favourite actors, Leonardo Dicaprio and Hugh Jackman, deserving of an Oscar has never won the award before.
*major major spoilers ahead*
While the main topic presented in the movie was about mental illness, I don't believe it was the director, or the author's intention (since the movie was based on a 2008 novel) or at least not the way that I see it that is the main gist of it.
I believe the main idea is that no one's really that normal. It could be because of who Pat hangs out with that made him that way, bipolar as he was diagnosed. But then again it could simply mean that mental illness is such an inaccurate diagnosis that only the unfortunate gets diagnosed with it.
When Pat beat the crap out of his wife's love affair, one can't blame him for that. Almost any normal person would be infuriated in a situation like that. But even though there was a scene which explained that Pat wasn't diagnosed because of the beating but because of what he thought his wife and her love affair was scheming against him, I still don't think it "abnormal" to think this way. That's probably one of the ways we humans "interpret" situations hidden from us, but yet our "sixth sense" tells us that something is amiss. If everyone is so rationally capable of deducing what exactly the actual situation is being kept from us, then there wouldn't be such things as frauds, adulteries, money laundering happening in this world now would there?
The one scene which really brings this point to light is where Pat and his group of friends were at an American football game, and everyone was "ok" to beat the crap out of each other but not Pat, because he's diagnosed with mental illness and him beating up someone else would mean there's a high chance he might be thrown back into the mental instituition.
Once a criminal, always a criminal? Once a mental patient, always a mental patient? It's the stigma, the social norm that our modern day society will never be able to break out of, because it's just human nature to convenient settle for the easiest explanation, and it's so easy to point an accusing finger at someone else other than oneself.
Moving away from the gloomy topic, there's a bit of Little Miss Sunshine in this... the dancing part. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the dancing competition that Pat and Tiffany signed up for would result in a more favourable outcome, with the big finishing move, but sometimes, movies like to fail our expectations, just to bring out the disappointing yet refreshing realism of life.
Silver Linings Playbook is not a romantic movie, but it's a feel good movie despite the melancholic content. Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker also brought some light-heartedness and heart felt moments, contributing to the overall package of possibly the easiest to watch "dark" movie out there.
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