dr. nicmus

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Running head: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

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SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Reaction paper to Silver Linings Playbook

PSY101

March 23, 2015

The Silver Linings is a romantic comedy drama movie that is written by the David Russell is adopted from the playbook novel of the silver linings. The stars in the film include Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. In the film, Cooper acts s Pat Solatano Junior is a man with the disorder of bipolar and is released from the mental health facility and then goes back to his parents. It’s at this point when he gets home learns that his wife Nikki had moved away and his father Pat senior is out of work. Pat junior is devoted to understanding his life and family back as he tries reconciling with his wife, Nikki. Nikki had obtained a restraining order against Pat juniors because of his violent acts and beating threats which made him be sent to the health mental facility due to bipolar disorder (Ackerman, 2004). With the top in the list of his priority rebuilding his marriage with Nikki, Pat junior beats up the new boyfriend of Nikki and assures his parents that all will be ok. Most of his actions are due to the bipolar disorder his is suffering from. In desperation, Pat junior is drawn to Tiffany, who has lost job and also recovering from the sex addict (Abrams, Wilson, 1983). Pat wants to open a restaurant and, therefore, joins with Tiffany in the game where they won and got enough money to open the restaurant.

The Silver Linings film presents a number of issues and lessons that can be learned in life. Firstly, there is the question of mental illness which if not well handled can destroy one’s life and family. Pat is taken to the mental facility because of violence caused by the bipolar disorder. This makes his wife Nikki to obtain a restraining order against him due to his violent

episode. By the time, Pat junior is released from the hospital find his h=wife had moved away and started a relationship with another man (Allen, Gupta, Monnier, 2008). This shows that mental illness can destroy one’s life and marriage. Pat junior is now on a mission to build up his life again.

Secondly, the movie requires one to be one’ self always. This is because Pat junior makes a lot of efforts to change a number of things about him for the purpose of trying to please Nikki, his estranged wife. No matter how much he tries to make himself real finally fails to win her back. Some of the thing that he had to work on included reducing his temper and losing weight. At the end of it all when he bears a self that is honest finds someone who gets in him. Thirdly, the film shows that in the event one takes risks are in a position to get the reward. In the life, many of the activities which take place involves risk taking. Tiffany proposes in entering into the dance contest with Pat junior, and this was for good reasons (Agrillo, 2011). Tiffany makes a risky move and asks Pat junior to be his partner. In the end of it all assisted by the focus, they have they get together on the right track and not only gets the highest score but also walk away as the winners (Jane, 1980). Moving out of the comfort zone we do have may be not a simple thing but can be able to lead to success that is great. Fourthly, love can get in places that is unexpected and also accepting change is every important. With Pat getting out of the mental facility and determined to win back his life and family, Tiffany loses his husband. The two can build up friendship and finally end falling in love for each other as they had accepted each other. In this way, the film brings out the issue of love and relationship and also shows that love can get in places that are unacceptable. Accepting help is seen in the situation of Pat where he agrees to go to the medical health facility, so that is treated his disorder of bipolar. He improves because the he comes out of the hospital all he wants is to get his life and family back (Patton, 2015). This shows that he is totally changed. Finally, the silver lining film enables one to understand or know the moment to let something go from his life. When Pat gets out of the medical health facility is determined to rebuild the relationship had with his wife who had cheated him with a coworker. After the moment Pat met with Tiffany, the life around him changed and finally he had to go the kind of image he had been holding his family and marriage in order to see what is in front of him (Elizabeth, 2014). He finally understands and learns on moving on and also forgives Nikki.

In conclusion, the silver lining usually exists even in the places that re darkest. The circumstances that surrounded the bipolar disorder that Pat had mighty had lead him to complete the breakdown. But through the whole process he kept an outlook that was positive and was encouraged to anything he was capable of doing. In the event, one remains confident he or she has a shot on the silver lining. In most of the time life may not go in the direction of your plan but the most important thing is to appreciate what one has.

References

Abrams, D. B., & Wilson, (1983), Alcohol, sexual arousal, and self-control,

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Ackerman, D. (2004), An alchemy of mind: The marvel and mystery of the brain,

New York: Scribner

Allen, M. W., Gupta, R., & Monnier, (2008), The interactive effect of cultural

symbols and human values on taste evaluation, Journal of Consumer Research

Agrillo, C. (2011), Near-death experience: Out-of-body and out-of-brain? Review of

General Psychology

Patton Oswalt, (2015), Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film, Simon and Schuster

Elizabeth Messina, (2014), The Silver Lining: A Supportive and Insightful Guide to Bipolar Disorder, Simon and Schuster

Jane P. Tompkins, (1980), Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism, JHU Press