Monday, March 31, 2014

Silver Linings Playbook.

Back in January I finally got to sit down and watch Silver Linings Playbook. (Yes, I realize I'm about a year late to the party but whatever.) I am a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan so pretty much anytime she has a movie out I want to see it (unless it's scary) but I didn't get to make it to the theater to see this one. I really liked the movie back in January but I hadn't get to watch it again until this weekend when I finally bought it on dvd. So far I have watched it twice since Saturday and each time I find something more in the movie and like the movie even more than I did before. Here is a short synopsis if you've never seen it:

So there is this guy Pat and he is just getting out of a mental rehabilitation hospital cause he found his wife cheating on him and he beat up the guy she was cheating with. Everyone is a little afraid of him and unsure of him because of his emotionally charged physical outburst but he is a genuinely good guy. One night he goes over to his friend Ronnie's house to have dinner with Ronnie and his wife, Veronica. So he goes over there and Veronica's sister Tiffany is also at the dinner. Tiffany has recently lost her husband and been fired from her job so she is also dealing with difficult issues. They become friends and Tiffany agrees to get Pat's wife, Nikki, a letter he has written her if he agrees to dance with Tiffany in a competition in exchange.

So they set up this agreement and through out the entire movie you see Pat and Tiffany's relationship evolve into something beautiful. You see them start to break down the walls they have both built up from their own heartache and help each other get through all the dark stuff in their lives. People are scarred and nervous around Pat and Tiffany because they are honest and harsh with their views on reality and they aren't afraid to say what they think or feel. In one scene Pat's father is asking Pat why he keeps hanging out with Tiffany because he doesn't like the person he has heard that she is and he doesn't want his son around that. One day as Pat's family and friends are trying to dis-encourage him from hanging out with Tiffany so much Pat and his friend Danny that he meets in the hospital have a wonderful exchange with the other characters.

Pat: People like Tiffany, or Danny, or me, maybe we know something that you guys don't know, okay? Did you ever think about that? Maybe we understand something because we're more...
Danny: Yeah, we have a sixth sense. I mean, everybody's got it. Everybody's just not in touch with it.

Every time I have watched this movie that exchange has stirred something inside me. Maybe because they have suffered they understand the world in a different way. Maybe because they have faced trials you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy they see things in a way that makes the world turn differently. 

I liked that both Pat and Tiffany had people that loved them and wanted to help them. Both their families supported them, even if they seemed a little on edge when one or the other of them were around. It is great to see a film show something like mental illness and show that even if you deal with that, people will still have your back and that is so so important. And even though their families might not know the best ways to go about helping them, they try their hardest because they love them and want the best for them.

I understand Pat and Tiffany. No, I've never been married and lost my husband or been put into a mental hospital but, I have had my own struggles. I have suffered from depression and still do from time to time. I take anxiety medicine because I get anxious and overly emotional about the dumbest stuff. But, I have amazing family and friends to help me through it just like Pat and Tiffany do. It is wonderful that an honest movie was made about characters that felt like they were real people. This movie broke down walls and helped start conversations that needed to be started. Yes, it is a "comedy," but it's more than just the laughs it brings to people. It also brings hope and understanding to those suffering with and those trying to understand mental illness.







*Note: Silver Lining's Playbook is rated R for language and a little bit of sexual content.





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