*Warning Spoilers Present*
When it comes to romantic comedy movies the plot is more times than not a carbon copy of some other rom-com movie. The plot is always the same; girl meets guy (or vice versa), they start to fall in love, something angsty happens in the middle to create some sort of conflict and in the end everything gets resolved with a passionate kiss or a beautiful wedding to tie everything together with a sloppy bow on top.
Don't get me wrong I love a good cheesy romance movie just as much as the next girl, but at times the repetitiveness of unlikely situations with even more unlikely coincidences can get a bit old. Modern day fairy tales are great to any romantic just waiting for the right person to come sweep them off their feet, but it's impractical and honestly not very applicable to real life which is what majorly differs Silver Lining Playbook from the rest.
Silver Linings Playbook is a film directed by David O. Russell that was adapted from the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. The story follows Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper), an ex-mental institution patient fresh out, and his redemption journey to regain his ex-wife's favor back so that he could go back to his life before his leaving for the mental institution. On his way to rebuilding his life he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) a girl in a similar position as himself. The movie tells about there story together and how they both found their silver lining within the situations they were put in.
The movie is certainly a bit different then what is usually thought of in the romantic comedy category. The comedy is very different from what is typically used in romance movies, and is
instead comedy that is rather seen in everyday life. I think that this was honestly one of the best parts about the movie: that there was no useless humor used as a filler or for laughs. Instead the humor had flowed perfectly with the the drama giving it more of a realistic dialogue and humor that people would use to make a bleak situation better.
The skill of creating characters that people could relate to is something that this film had done well and is something I would want to apply to my future works. Pat and Tiffany, along with the rest of the characters, were all majorly flawed and not necessarily in a bad way. The way that the characters were flawed was in a very human way, a way that people daily experience. For example, the daily issue of dealing with a bipolar disorder is addressed through Pat's character and it wasn't turned into some sort of gag; though it did entail funny moments at times, like his lack of filter, it allowed viewers to understand that these characters are easy to identify with.
Dialogue is a very essential part to a movie; dialogue will make or break a movie. The dialogue in the movie was absolutely phenomenal. It was very relatable and out of it came lines that are memorable and would be remembered for years to come. Lines like:
"You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."
"I was a big slut, but I'm not any more. There's always going to be a part of me that's sloppy and dirty, but I like that. With all the other parts of myself. Can you say the same about yourself? Can you forgive? Are you any good at that?"
Dialogue is something that I have learned how to use in my works and be able to do it well, and this movie has definitely reinforced that conviction in me that whatever I write that is going to be said on screen needs to be quality work and not just sloppily put together.
Though Silver Linings Playbook was an amazing movie that had deserved all of the nominations and awards it had received there is still always room for improvement. In my eyes that I think that even though the movie itself was relatable and more realistic than normal romance movies, it was still unrealistic in some situations. In movies it can be very easy for the plot to dip into places where its improbable anything of that nature would happen, like the characters getting the score they need to win at the dance competition at the end. In that aspect the movie was very hard to believe at points in time.
All in all I really enjoy watching the movie. I really think that the movie had deserved every award and nomination they had received. It's a nice difference from the usual romance movies put out by Hollywood. I would rate this movie a solid 4.5/5 if I had to rate the movie. Russell had done a great job portraying the book as it should have been and the actors were amazing in their roles. It was a great movie and I always enjoy watching it whenever I can.
The Silver Linings Playbook. Dir. David O. Russell. Perf. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The Weinstein Company, 2012. Film.
Silver Linings Playbook Movie Poster. Digital image. IMDb. The Weinstein Company, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.
"OveMedia." OveMedia. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.