… Russell pitches the action at a manic, screwball pace, and the cast is more than up to the task, with Cooper and Lawrence attracting and repelling each other with equal dynamism and talented supporting players making these shouting, unhappy characters into memorable eccentrics. Writer-director David O. Russell even gets actual performances out of Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, Hardcore art-house enthusiasts might remember the 2003 documentary “The Five Obstructions,” in which Lars von Trier has his friend and mentor Jørgen Leth remake one of Leth’s own films several times with different challenges involved. This echoes a literally shattering scene earlier on when Pat reads the high school syllabus his wife is currently teaching, is driven crazy by the wilful pessimism of the end of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms and throws the book through a closed window. There are numerous scenes that in other hands would be as excruciatingly embarrassing on the screen as they would be in real life: a row in a diner, for instance, that spills out into the street on Halloween night and involves a crowd in fancy dress outside a cinema. One of the take-home messages of the film is that every person likely exhibit some forms of “deviant” behavior or emotional “disturbance” sporadically. Winning many awards and nominations in the Academy Awards, “Silver Linings Playbook” offers an interesting, at times controversial, view on mental illness. Moving back in with his parents Pat Sr. (De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver), Pat focuses on getting his wife back, not letting something as minor as her restraining order get in the way. The Weinstein Company. Adapting the novel by Matthew Quick, Russell has done all that in an extraordinary balancing act; “Playbook” often surprises, even as it constantly threatens to run off the rails. She bonds in a complex way with Pat by giving him a pejorative, one-minute summary of Lord of the Flies before throwing it out into the street. Review of “Silver Linings Playbook” in the Perspective of Mental Illness May 13, 2013 Winning many awards and nominations in the Academy Awards, “Silver Linings Playbook” offers an interesting, at times controversial, view on mental illness. Tiffany is another version of the tough bartender and college drop-out in Russell's The Fighter who sets out to rescue the failing boxer from the family that is destroying him. The official word (from the book blurb) is that she's suffering from clinical depression.. Featuring a main character, Pat, who suffers from bipolar disorder and experiences manic and depressive episodes, the film also includes a few other characters—ranging from the Pat’s father to his love interests, Tiffany and Nikki—who display hints of mental illness. But we are surrounded by differing degrees of mental illness in ourselves, in relatives we love, and in some people that we should fear. Cooper stars as Pat, a substitute teacher just getting out of a mental institution after a violent episode involving his wife and her secret lover. The opinions expressed in the blogs do not necessarily reflect those of Sather Health. Tiffany is prone to mood swings throughout the film; she also accuses Pat of trying to harass her when he was not. He's been diagnosed as bipolar after beating up a fellow high school teacher, whom he found, we graphically discover, having a shower with his (Pat's) wife. It is important to remember that although love certainly can help those suffering from mental illnesses, it can neither hide nor eliminate diagnosable mental illnesses. If you’re looking for a realistic portrayal of bipolar disorder or OCD, seek that elsewhere. And indeed the movie does make you feel quite good about humanity as the final credits roll. Which is a pretty patronizing reaction to something as intense as mental illness. We are a student group acting independently of the University of California. Her project is to involve him in an annual dance, the city's local equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing and named after Franklin. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook.Does the movie have anything to say about mental illness? I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. But this is a David O Russell movie, his sixth since 1994, and for him feeling good is the reward for completing an emotional assault course. A less talented and less heartfelt filmmaker would have reduced this crew to easily digestible types, shied away from their darker behavior and gone for sitcom-level laughs and learning, but Russell is too smart for such lazy obstructions. In other words, we are all a little crazy. Pat’s manic episodes find their counterpart in Pat Sr.’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, which he’s managed to camouflage as extreme fandom for the Philadelphia Eagles. To continue reading for free, provide your email below. A few other characters also display mental health issues. <, http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20121227/silver-linings-playbook-mental-illness, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window). Most significant among these people is the young widow Tiffany, a good-looking woman living in the garage of her parents' home, which she's turned into a dance studio. Feature Image Source: Something Like Summer. Tiffany is Pat’s indirect love interest and is suffering from depression due to the death of her husband. A hardcore football fanatic, Pat’s father believes that his favorite team winning a game was dependent on his son being present. David O Russell alternates between comedy and psychological drama in this hugely enjoyable film. Both are familiar characters in Hollywood comedies, but the fundamentally sensible Tiffany is given a rare depth and pathos by Jennifer Lawrence. Perhaps the message of this strand of the narrative is to carry on with the medication but be careful what you read. In the end, it is up to the viewers to decide if they like the film, but these points should be taken into consideration when watching “Silver Linings Playbook.” The media can occasionally propagate stereotypes and misconceptions about mental illness, and it is important to critically think about these issue in all films. (If someone moves the remote, the team will lose!) But that's a minor criticism of a hugely enjoyable film. The irony of the movie is that Pat at times seems to be the sanest character in the film, because other characters who have not been diagnosed as mentally ill clearly have mental health issues. And that's because he cares for these people in a wholly unpatronising fashion. (Shoot it in Cuba with no set and no shot that lasts longer than 12 frames, film it as a cartoon, etc.). ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ Review: Mental Illness + Ballroom Dancing = a Madcap Surprise Writer-director David O. Russell even gets actual performances out of Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper When his team loses a game, Pat’s father becomes hysterical and even violent, demonstrating he also suffers from mental instability. ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ OK on Mental Illness? Sather Health is a student health website that aims to deliver trusted health information to students and their communities. We aim to provide self-care resources created by students for students and provide a platform where students can discuss health issues. Writer-director David O. Russell (“The Fighter,” “I Heart Huckabee’s”) returns to the big screen with “Silver Linings Playbook,” and his triumph seems all the more miraculous given a set of obstructions that even von Trier might have found excessively difficult: Create a romantic comedy about mental illness that also involves ballroom dancing and pro-football fandom. For example, Pat’s best friend confides in Pat from time to time telling him he is unhappy with his marriage and that he sometimes punches the wall. All of these people are obsessives of sorts, but plausibly so, as are the majority of the people Patrick meets in his native Philadelphia suburb. Founded and managed by UC Berkeley students, we are an ASUC-sponsored student organization and a student-run DeCal course. Because of the tradition of disruptive violence his over-enthusiastic presence encourages, Pat's father has been banned from the Eagles' stadium. Perhaps the film is a trifle over-egged towards the end and comic seriousness briefly turns into unfunny solemnity when it deals with the reunion between Patrick and his more conventional brother. Meanwhile, he must keep clear of his estranged wife and make regular visits to a perceptive, pawkily humorous Indian psychiatrist. Should We Save Costs on University Mental Health Services? Silver Linings Playbook is a refreshing departure from this pattern. Despite the monetary success, Silver Linings Playbook dilutes the impact of a chronic, pervasive illness in someone’s life. Make Bradley Cooper act rather than letting him coast on his charm. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the blogs do not necessarily reflect those of Sather Health. It may be more rom and less com, but David O Russell's quirky film about mental illness is surefooted and amusing, writes Peter Bradshaw Perched on a razor's edge between comedy and psychological drama, Silver Linings Playbook opens with the release from a mental institution of the explosive Patrick Solitano Jr after eight months' incarceration. He’s crafted a wonderfully odd ode to dysfunctional people trying to make their way in the world, and he knows that their journey would mean nothing without a few black clouds along the way. Enjoy! Silver Linings Playbook – review 3 out of 5 stars. He shows symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): needing to keep his office organized to the point of counting the number of envelopes in his office. But Russell involves us so closely in what we're watching that we become emotional participants. We take full responsibility for our organization and this web site. 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