The Silver Linings Playbook is a Mental Health Transparency Film we Need

By Molly Ryan

April 28, 2022

David O. Russell’s 2012 movie The Silver Linings Playbook is a healing movie about the struggles behind mental disorders. The film will give you a warm due to the details Russell includes.

Pat Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper) is a man who suffers from bipolar disorder, and ends up being a patient in a mental hospital. Before entering the hospital, Pat was a history substitute teacher at a local high school where his wife Nikki (Brea Bee) is also a teacher. Pat’s wife ends up cheating on him and he also loses his job; that’s when he spirals out of control and is admitted to a mental health facility. After being released from the hospital, Pat moves in with his parents Pat Solintano Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores Solintano (Jacki Weaver) and is trying to rekindle his relationship with his wife.

Along the way, Pat meets spunky Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who also suffers from a mental disorder. Pat and Tiffany begin hanging out, and she offers to help him out with reconnecting with his wife if he participates in a freestyle dancing competition with her.

Throughout the movie, Bradley Cooper portrays a man with bipolar disorder. Although Cooper does not suffer from bipolar in real life, he perfectly captures the disorder. We see a couple of scenes where Cooper is having a breakdown. Whether it would be throwing things, having a crazy all the sudden feeling to find Nikki, or even getting into a fight with his dad, we see what it would really be like to suffer from this disorder.

We also see Tiffany, who is played by Jennifer Lawrence, also struggle with a mental disorder. It was never clear which disorder, but some may say BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). Lawrence’s performance reminds us that there are ways to cope. You can tell by her performance that she understood her character well and her character's love for dance because during her dancing scenes, Lawrence’s facial expressions got warmer, just like Cooper’s did when his character went on long runs..

Pat SOlantino’s signature catchphrase in the film is “Excelsior ''. Excelsior means “ever upward” or “higher” In the movie, Pat says to his parents, “it means you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna take all this negativity and I’m gonna use it as fuel. I’m gonna find a silver lining, that’s what I’m gonna do… That takes work and that’s the truth.”

The phrase “silver lining” is used to show that there is a brighter side to every situation. “You have to do everything you can, and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining,” said Solitano in the film.

This moving story about two damaged people shows that everyone in the story messed up at some point, and it makes us watchers feel better about the mistakes we make in our day to day lives.

Movies that contain mental health and depict those struggles are important. Seeing actors and actresses understand and portray these illnesses give people that struggle in real life a sense of comfort, if the acting is done correctly. The acting was on point in this film. Rating: R. Running time: 122 minutes. Four stars out of four