After hearing about it since last summer, I finally got a chance to see Silver Linings Playbook. The movie has been on a tear since its release, winning The American Film institute Best Picture of the Year, The Toronto Film Festival People Choice Award, and the Independent Spirit Award Best Picture of the Year. In addition, it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Producer’s Guild. Stars Jennifer Laurence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver all racked up numerous nominations for their work. But was it actually any good? Was the mental health piece of the movie an honest portrayal of people with bipolar disorder?
I’d say it’s a qualified yes. Like It’s Kind of a Funny Story, taking a more respectful view of mental health and mental illness makes the movie seem better than it is (and edgier, incidentally). Ultimately, though, it’s a romantic comedy that uses mental health as the reason to keep the lovers apart. Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a man recently released from a mental hospital after beating his wife’s lover, and Jennifer Laurence plays Tiffany Maxwell, a young widow still coming to terms with her husband’s sudden death. The movie deals with the mental health issues both are facing (he has bipolar disorder; she’s still dealing with her grief) with sensitivity, but no real depth. Pat wakes his parents up to discuss books (he’s determined to win his wife back, despite her restraining order) and melts down over losing his wedding tape. He’s also seen going to therapy, taking medication, and generally working on getting healthier, including removing himself from harmful situations. Cooper manages to make Pat both an insensitive jerk (his specialty) and someone worth rooting for. In getting to know his parents, played by De Niro and Weaver, we see some of the patterns emerging and where some of his behavior was created. Overall, though, they are supportive and trying to do their best.
The biggest issue with the movie is that it gets remarkably close to endorsing the love-conquers-mental-health storyline that Hollywood loves. Pat’s mental health improves as he spends time practicing for a dance competition with Tiffany (see, a romantic comedy), and they both heal as they fall in love. The fact that he takes medication and goes to therapy is downplayed (though never gone entirely). The fact that he is violent is downplayed, and his love for Tiffany cures his obsession with his wife. His bipolar disorder is played up when the plot needs it to be, and ignored when it doesn’t. The movie doesn’t pretend their issues are gone totally by the end, but it does make it seem like love is the reason they are getting healthy. It’s a fine line the movie is trying to walk, showing that having a healthy relationship can be a positive part of mental health, but not imply that it cures it. I don’t think the movie is 100 percent successful in not saying that, which is part of the issue for me.
The whole movie seems to be in this situation where it’s not as bad as it could be about mental health, so it’s seems like it's terrific on the topic in comparison to what’s out there. I think we fall into that trap a lot (even me as some people pointed out last week), and maybe that’s a good baby step for now. This movie isn’t as egregious as A Beautiful Mind was, to be sure, but it didn’t handle the topic as well as it could have. Once again, I’m leaning towards that being a good thing. A lot of positive discussion about mental health was generated by this movie, and sustained for over a year. David O. Russell, the director, discussed his personal story of raising a son with bipolar disorder, and Jennifer Laurence spoke up in the Oscar Press Room about how unfortunate and unnecessary the stigma around mental health is. That’s important, and that adds to the good of the movie. I wish it was stronger than it is on the realities of mental health, and of dating and getting back into day-to-day life after being released from a mental hospital, but the fact that it says anything good gives it an A in my book.
Next week, we are going to discuss the book that started it all, A Mind that Found Itself, by Clifford Beers, our esteemed founder.
Have you seen Silver Linings Playbook? What did you think?
MHA's Blog: Chiming In
Feb 28
Feb 28, 2013 at 3:49 PM I found the portrayal of bipolar to be very realistic. I also noted that he admitted he needed his meds and we see him take them. Tiffany serves as a mirror to his illness in many ways - esp. in the restaurant. Its not hard to see the primrose path the director takes us down re: the romance. But thats where the predictability stops. The rest is pretty unpredictable - like a bipolar individual.