My Review of "Silver Linings Playbook"

Silver Linings Playbook came out back in 2012 but still holds up as one of the better romantic comedies that have come out in the past decade or two. I remember being dumbfounded at how good it was when I first saw it and I'm surprised that I still think it's so great today. It's a perfect mix of chaos and organized planning all in one.

The movie starts out with the introduction of our main protagonist Pat. He's been put into a mental institute and he's trying to get better. Well that's what he wants you to think. I'm sure in his head he believes his own lies as well. He's been put there for a few months because of a crime that was committed.

You see Pat was living his very normal life as a school teacher. He had a loving wife and everything was going well. That is until he came home early one day and found his wife cheating with a fellow teacher from the same school. Pat went off and beat the crap out of this guy and that put him into the mental ward.

Luckily for him, he's served mandatory time in the mental institution and his mom is taking him out to live with his parents. There are a lot of stipulations because he's not quite fit for society yet. Also, he still has a restraining order from his estranged wife Nikki.

Pat is adamant about getting his life back to what it was before. He wants to get back with Nikki so he's been working on himself. This means he's trimmed down and working on his mental stability. Of course, this is easier said than done. Everyone notices that he's not well except for him.

Still this movie has a ton of heart because all of his family and friends are rooting for him They'll do anything to help him get back on his feet but they also know that Nikki is not a good thing for him. This is how they introduce Pat to Tiffany. She isn't going through the best of times herself.

After her husband was killed she had been quite self destructive trying to cope with the loss. She's not quite stable herself but we're quick to notice that she's in much better shape than Pat is.

Everyone has their own agenda's and this movie somehow intermingles all of the agenda's together in some collaborative effort. It's really funny how they mix everything together and still make it make sense.

Again this movie is quite a journey because everyone in this movie has problems and don't know how to deal with them. Yet they all want to help each other which gives this movie so much heart. No one can see how crazy they are themselves but the characters that are interacting with them and of course us the audience. I love this about the movie because it gives it such relatability. There's so much of me and my friends in the characters in this movie. I can see how these people could be based on real life people.

It's also a movie that plays with mental illness in a pretty unique and realistic way. They really make you understand that mental illness is everywhere but we're all blind to the fact that it's there. Everyone struggles in their own way but we should really just take some time and reflect to see opportunities.

Overall, I loved this movie, It has so much to offer and so much fun to watch as well. There's so much to love about it and that's why I have to give this one an 8.5 out of 10. I think this will continue to be one of my favorites and will continually recommend this to as many people as possible.