Book to Film Review: Silver Linings Playbook

About the film

Silver Linings Playbook is a comedy/ drama film that was released at the cinema on 21^st November 2012. The DVD will be released on 1^st April. Silver Linings Playbook is adapted from the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick. The film is rated 15 and has a run time of 122 minutes.

Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)

Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano has lost everything--his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

What I thought

Before watching this film, I didn’t know that it was based on a book but now that I do, it makes me want to read it.

Bradley Coopers stars as Pat Jr, a man just coming out of 8 months of treatment in an institution. Pat is mentally unstable after the breakdown of his marriage and is now diagnosed as bi-polar. It was wonderful to watch Pat’s character develop throughout the film, going from a complete mess and not really knowing what was going on in his life to being at a point where he is content and happy. I’m not really Cooper’s biggest fan and I have to say that if it hadn’t been for Jennifer Lawrence, I don’t think I would have watched this film. However, Cooper is fantastic as Pat and really puts a lot into the role. A large range of emotions were needed to be able to play this role and Cooper is extremely convincing as Pat. One minute he’s very down and sad but the next he is so happy he bounces off of the walls. I have to say that Silver Linings Playbook may just have altered what I thought about Cooper.

Jennifer Lawrence is equally as good, if not better, in her role as Tiffany. She, just look Pat, is quite mentally unstable after the death of her husband. She’s loud, brash and very outspoken which is what I loved about her. The two characters really complement each other well as they are often at two different sides of the spectrum. Tiffany is a very confused character, not always knowing exactly what she wants or the right thing to say. She doesn’t have a filter on when she talks and just does and says anything she feels like. While this is a drama film, it is also a comedy and between Tiffany and Pat, there are plenty of funny moments between them. Much like Cooper, Lawrence needed to be able to be very open and emotional in this role and she does it well. The role is very different from others she has played such as Katniss in The Hunger Games. I do think this was a fantastic role for Lawrence to take because it shows that she is more than a one series actress and now she has really made a name for herself.

I also really enjoyed the plot as much as the main performances. Pat is absolutely obsessed with his wife Nikki who he is separated from. He doesn’t really understand this though and is determined to show her that he has changed and is a better man. It was heart breaking to see Pat in constant states of denial or confusion because he couldn’t understand why things were a certain way. When he meets Tiffany, things change because he is confronted with someone who is very similar to him and also going through similar problems. The outcome of the story was pretty predictable but I didn’t mind that at all. I thought the lead up to, and the ending, were wonderfully done and very inspirational to others with mental health issues at the same time.

Something that did bug me about this film though was the way that it was shot. Some scenes would finish in a really random way that didn’t really fit with the rest of the film. Some scenes are also extremely short, jumping from one thing to another very quickly which can be very confusing. However, this does also make it possible to be able to realise how Pat is feeling, with emotions all over the place. Don’t be expecting to be wowed with the settings in this film either. The majority of the film takes place in a small town where Pat and Tiffany meet and while the shots of the street over the changing seasons were nice, they just weren’t anything special. Silver Linings Playbook isn’t a film about stunning scenery though. It’s a film about the characters and all of the attention is on them instead.

I really enjoyed this film and will definitely be buying it once it is released on DVD.