Silver Linings Playbook
Can a romantic comedy about mental illness help audiences reach an understanding to the disease? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
Oh, the last topic I would like to tackle this past year. On two occasions a couple of friends and I laughed on this year about the fine line of the "crazies" that human beings are capable of exhibiting. We are all crazy.* Bottom line. Of note, my heart went out to a certain individual battling an injustice this weekend. My God Almighty, as a witness, has nothing to with her own illness. One betrayal became a catalyst to her mental health improvement. And another became a battle she is intellectually prepared to fight.
Some parallels are these two stories. Both stories are filled with hope.
Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, has battled not only an injustice of going through the stages of accepting the bipolar diagnosis, he has to live through the consequences of his reaction to a betrayal. His character weaves (like a Philadelphia wide-receiver) through the ensemble cast of enablers, addictions, depression, obsessions, and compulsions to accept the truth for himself. His mental health matters.
My favorite scene is where Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is frantic over tying a bow tie for her new friend and dance partner, Pat. Pat stands silently as her efforts fail. His gaze is fixated at Tiffany's behavior and his new revelation about her. Tiffany is frantic with the thought she is continuously failing her own progression. Both have secrets and the audience knows each hand up to this point. The hints are subtle. Pat is speechless, for once, not manic.
Worth watching the development of the two main characters.The topic is not as depressing as my first impression of this movie. Don't be afraid.
I laughed out loud twice and clutched the security of my popcorn during the manic episodes. Isn't classical comedies but a series of loss and hope with moments of polar extremes? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
*100 years ago when I took Psych 101, Dr. Boyd told us not to diagnose ourselves. We all exhibit a moment of erratic and/or irrational behaviors link to one or more disorders. ::thanks::
Can a romantic comedy about mental illness help audiences reach an understanding to the disease? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
Oh, the last topic I would like to tackle this past year. On two occasions a couple of friends and I laughed on this year about the fine line of the "crazies" that human beings are capable of exhibiting. We are all crazy.* Bottom line. Of note, my heart went out to a certain individual battling an injustice this weekend. My God Almighty, as a witness, has nothing to with her own illness. One betrayal became a catalyst to her mental health improvement. And another became a battle she is intellectually prepared to fight.
Some parallels are these two stories. Both stories are filled with hope.
Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, has battled not only an injustice of going through the stages of accepting the bipolar diagnosis, he has to live through the consequences of his reaction to a betrayal. His character weaves (like a Philadelphia wide-receiver) through the ensemble cast of enablers, addictions, depression, obsessions, and compulsions to accept the truth for himself. His mental health matters.
My favorite scene is where Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is frantic over tying a bow tie for her new friend and dance partner, Pat. Pat stands silently as her efforts fail. His gaze is fixated at Tiffany's behavior and his new revelation about her. Tiffany is frantic with the thought she is continuously failing her own progression. Both have secrets and the audience knows each hand up to this point. The hints are subtle. Pat is speechless, for once, not manic.
Worth watching the development of the two main characters.The topic is not as depressing as my first impression of this movie. Don't be afraid.
I laughed out loud twice and clutched the security of my popcorn during the manic episodes. Isn't classical comedies but a series of loss and hope with moments of polar extremes? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
*100 years ago when I took Psych 101, Dr. Boyd told us not to diagnose ourselves. We all exhibit a moment of erratic and/or irrational behaviors link to one or more disorders. ::thanks::
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