Silver Linings Playbook

Pat really loves his wife Nikki. So when one day he walks in on his wife in the shower with a random guy, he lets his emotions get the best of him and beats the guy to within an inch of his life. This results in a sentence of an eight month stay at a psych ward and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Once Pat is released he goes on a mission to win back his wife and continue the life they had before the incident. Along the way he meets a woman named Tiffany who is just as damaged as he is. Tiffany's husband died in a car wreck that she feels personally responsible for, and so she falls into a depression that involves sleeping with every one of her co-workers. As Pat and Tiffany get to know each other, their relationship goes from awkward friendship to something much deeper.

Pat's father, Pat Sr. on the other hand, doesn't like this budding relationship because it means that Pat won't spend time watching the Philadelphia Eagles (or in other words with his father) and cheer them on to the Super Bowl. Senior feels that the only way to express his love for his son and to spend time with him is to sit down and watch the Eagles. When Pat Jr. spends time with Tiffany to get ready for a a dance competition, Senior feels betrayed. It isn't until the day of the competition that Pat realizes that every time his dad sent him off to a game and said "I believe in you!", or sat him down on the sofa to watch the game with him he was really saying "I love you".

Silver Linings Playbook is a harsh look at the effects of mental illness, not only of the individual diagnosed, but also of the family and friends of that individual. As we get to know Pat we see the underlying issues he has to deal with concerning his family. He has a father who has never outright said "I love you", an overbearing mother, and a brother who seems to be the only one who has ever really cared for him. Pat's one true friend is a fellow patient named Danny whom he met while being admitted to the psych ward. Also, while Pat's family comes to terms with his illness and tries to cope with it, the film never really gives a satisfying "everything is going to be ok" kind of ending. Pat and his father patch their relationship, but it's built around the superstition that Pat is a good luck charm of sorts for his father involving the Philadelphia Eagles. It doesn't feel like a true father-son relationship. Pat's relationship with Tiffany has it's problems too, concerning the fact that both of them are fragile and they are mistrusting of each other throughout the entire film. I don't believe real life is all rainbows, sunshine and roses, it has its struggles; however, I wish that Silver Linings had ended on a lighter note. I walked away from it feeling a little depressed. It had its moments that had me laughing out loud, but overall this is a depressing film. I want to recommend it, it was really well done, but I'm not entirely sure I can recommend it.