The Book vs. The Movie: Silver Linings Playbook

As many (well-read and cultured) people will say, the book is usually better than the movie, with a few exceptions. One film that didn't include a major motif that the book highlighted throughout was the cinematic one of Silver Linings Playbook  by Matthew Quick.  The 2013 film of the same name tells the story of Pat, a man who is recovering from separation from his wife after leaving a mental institution.  On his road to recovery, he befriends Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who helps him "beat his crazy by doing something even crazier."  It made me laugh, cry, laugh so hard I cried, and the message of staying positive to always have that shot at a silver lining has been something I carry with myself everyday.

Enter my desire to read the book that this cinematic masterpiece came from.  It immediately became one of my favorite books upon completion.  After seeing the film adaptation of the same name in theaters twice, I ordered a copy of the book off Amazon, and shut out the rest of the world until I finished it. The book reads like a journal without the formalities as Pat narrates.  Readers get very deep insights from Pat, especially when he criticize the books that were on his ex's high school teaching syllabus.  His profound reflections on The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye all come full circle as he talks about how these books have no silver lining, and that life needs one.

Not to discredit the film, which received several Academy nominations, including a win for Jennifer Lawrence as Best Actress.  The characters in the film are very compelling, as Pat's one-track mind parallels his character in the book.  The film gets the message of having a shot at a silver lining and remaining positive 110%. The film focuses mostly on the motif of how sports are a major aspect of Pat and his family's life. However, viewers are missing out a lot on Pat's internal struggle and thought process, which is very thorough in the novel.  Even though film can't include EVERYTHING and it does an excellent job of adapting the source material to the silver screen, I thought that a movie with a more cinematic angle with some fourth-wall-breaking could be an effective way of truly portraying Pat and giving him more control over his narrative.

The film is filled with emotion, there characters are compelling, and David O'Russell made a very strong and successful character piece.  However, the book does more than just give us the Hollywood ending through internal and external battles, along with shades of grey.  We see dark moments for Pat, and also cheer him on as he goes through accepting what is.

Where the film ends with the dance competition and Pat's profession of love to Tiffany that turns me into a puddle, the book has another hundred pages to go, where Pat finally gets in touch with his ex Nikki.  Nikki's letters (who we then realize were written by Tiffany) hit on the point that "life is not a PG feel-good movie.  Real life often ends badly."  This, along with Pat's observations of life being like a series of movies is something I often muse about, and I was beyond ecstatic to finally find someone (fictional or not) who could sympathize with me over this notion.

If you didn't cry during this scene are you even human?

The book actually has more cinematic/meta aspects than the film does, as Pat's narration floats back to film.  He is very direct about certain aspects, as he spends an entire chapter on trying to figure out what a montage is (titled "My Movie's Montage"), and then recounts how the days blur together for him in the form of one.  He compares his prepping for the dance competition to the scene in Rocky, when he trains to become a better boxer.  Pat even invites readers to listen to a song that's inspiring to them as they read the chapter.  This breaks the fourth wall and pulls readers in more than books of this nature usually do.

The book is still very heavy on its sports emphasis, as Pat and his brother attend Eagles games, along with how Pat's father neurotically lets the Birds determine how he behaves and interacts with his family.  In the novel, his parents fight and bicker over game day rituals, a new TV in the house to better watch the Eagles games after Pat Sr. breaks the previous one, and Pat's relationship with his therapist beyond their sessions.

Overall, the novel Silver Linings Playbook is not one to be missed. It's charming, captivating, and makes Pat more interesting and inspiring than ever.  As I read it, I could hear Bradley Cooper walking me through Pat's psyche, which made it all the more enjoyable.