Cynical? On Xanax? Watch Silver Linings Playbook

It is notable that depressing, illness-stricken stories of upset, broken characters (with a couple jokes thrown in here or there) have suddenly appeared as a leading power in movie theaters. Silver Linings Playbook, in all of its popularity, took home 24 movie awards with the talent of its actors and tortured storyline. The movie consists of two mentally-insane people going through their lives and, in the final few moments of the movie, accepting their affections for each other. But how is it that people are paying to watch a fully-grown man sob and shout his ex-wife’s name over and over again onscreen, with a only few well-timed zingers to lighten the mood? And why is it that people adore this entire genre of hopeless, heartless, human sadness?



Gut-wrenching dramedies have been popular for some time now, among all sorts of audiences. With teenagers, it is easy to understand why this type of movie is an astronomical hit. As I lounged on my lumpy couch and admired Jennifer Lawrence’s build, I found many, many things in common with the sick characters. As an angst-filled teenager myself, I often believe I belong in a mental institution, much like every other egocentric teen often does. Overbearance? General unhappiness? Obsession? A false belief in love?Silver Linings Playbook had all of these average symptoms of puberty within its script, which naturally means every misunderstood adolescent is compelled to see this movie. However, depressing comedies find their niche among adults as well. Anyone with a mid-life crisis under their belt looks for movies that show they have not yet hit rock bottom. An axe murderer would feel solace after viewing such a far-gone character as portrayed by Bradley Cooper find his way back to a somewhat-happy existence in the end.
Dramedies that pinpoint “real-life” topics like mental well-being are attracting to the middle-aged audiences as well. My own mother could not stop talking about how “real” and “believable” the characterization was. For instance- the leads in Silver Linings Playbook were not the only ones with major issues. The main character’s father had extreme compulsion about “karma”, as he was a sports gambler. But when things get to the point where the dad idolizes his son for giving his house “the good juju”, things get a little weird. Also, another couple in the movie had that one relationship in which the husband did everything and anything the wife said. These are all social faux paus that are around us constantly in real life, but we do not expect in a movie. However, when every person in a story actually has a background, instead of being yet another teen superhero with web-slinging abilities and women falling over to meet him, the movie gains a lot of depth and helps the watching populace relate.
Many other harrowing comedies have gone up in legend as well. Small-time indie films such as Little Miss Sunshine have been dragged out of the Sundance festivals and praised by the big-time critics for their “believability”. Egalitarian hipsters on Xanax write thesis after thesis on Little Miss Sunshine for how eloquent their use of profanity, unpleasant family ties and the weaving in of mental issues prove to be in the film. People love to watch other people’s lives fall apart onscreen, as it says that “hey, you aren’t the only one”. Movies that load up on physical health problems rather than mental are also making it big. Dallas Buyer’s Club, the retelling of a drug dealer with HIV won three Oscars and a roving fanbase. The John Green novel,The Fault In Our Stars, is being adapted to screen to bring the starcrossed love story of the young and cancer-afflicted to life. Millions are already campaigning to bring the stars out on tour via the movie’s InstaGram page. Whatever the topic, dramedies full of grit and the harshness of humanity continue to thrive.
In Silver Linings Playbook, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) finishes up a jaunt to the mental institution after nearly killing his ex-wife’s lover. He continues to pine after and fixate on the woman, Nikki, going so far to run miles daily in order to “get fit for Nikki”. For the next 122 minutes, he deals with his “love”, lives with his obsessive, gambling father and deferring mother, and befriends Tiffany, an amateur dancer, depressed widow, and ex-slut. As they struggle to understand themselves, their lives and relationships, audience members are wowed by the humanity, the ticks, the oddities, and the abundance of the f-word. The movie is based off of a Matthew Quick book, and while I have not read it, I am sure I would like the book better. This is not meant to say that I did not like the movie- I loved the movie- but I always enjoy more detail. One criticism I have is that throughout the entire movie, the phrase “silver linings playbook” was not actually mentioned. While Pat spoke of “finding silver linings”, I have a heavy intuition that they explain the idea of an actual playbook in the book in a better or more solidified way. Overall, however? The movie was fantastic. It makes you think about yourself, about love, and you admire Jennifer Lawrence when scantily clad in dancing outfits. The acting was brilliant- Cooper and Lawrence clearly showed the pain, the obsession, and the eventual love they had for each other. The setting, a regular, plain-ish neighborhood, was perfect. The clothing the people wore, also perfect- no one was overdressed, because all of them were average people. I would suggest this to anyone who can appreciate a good movie. But especially the cynically-minded people like me, or egalitarian hipsters who should be on Xanax.