Adventure #17: Silver Linings Playbook

*I write this post because I am screaming for you to SEE THIS MOVIE*

A few weeks ago I went with a friend to see Silver Linings Playbook and fell MADLY IN LOVE with it! It was one of those experiences that reaffirmed truth and hope to me and made me believe in the cinema (I believe! Can I get an amen?!). I was totally blown away by the story and the character depth. It will definitely be a film I add to my library. After all, it is a romantic comedy(-drama) with a male protagonist. I tend to be strongly drawn to those.

I admired how it showed how everyone has a quirk about them that makes them a non-normal individual (yeah, yeah; what is normal, anyway? There. I said it. Now some other freak yuppie won't have to). Everyone seemed to have some leanings toward some kind of mental illness or social disability. Pat's father had OCD tendencies; Pat's mother was an enabler; Pat had bipolar disorder; Tiffany had a sex addiction caused by immense grief (perhaps, complicated grief); Veronica (Tiffany's sister) was a controlling perfectionist; Ronnie (Veronica's husband) had anger issues caused by Veronica's control; and so forth. The film (and book, I'm sure) helps show how people with mental illness (though few of the characters have "mental illness" stamped on their legal records) are still people and that they (I use the term they loosely) aren't other worldly beings that get locked up in a "looney bin." They are really still just a part of us. The film helps separate that mental detachment we have in the us vs. them idea. The movie reached out to show that even those without a certified "mental illness" still practice behaviors with signs and markings of a mental illness. We all have a little bit o' crazy in us.

Consequently, I felt that we shouldn't be put off by these signs within ourselves and others. We are all parts of a whole, and we don't need to shame ourselves from whatever little tendencies we may have. We don't need to let them rule us, but we shouldn't put ourselves down for whatever facets of ourselves we think are weird. Not one person has something about them that is not weird. We should still strive to be our best and conquer whatever challenges we face, as Pat does, despite the social pressures he is under by being termed mentally ill (and the pressures of his issues). It is a story of hope and of the natural drive to better oneself.

Personally, (yes, a little personal time; let's get personal) I connected with just about all the characters on some level, but I particularly loved Tiffany. Having struggled with complicated grief myself, I totally could see her motivation in everything she did. .... I could go deeper, but let's not get that personal...I did say "a little personal time," after all.

I recommend it to anyone over the age of 15, because that would be old enough to really appreciate it.
(Yes, it is rated R, so waiting until someone is 17 is understandable ;-)  I know I have a lot of friends who are R-rated sensitive, as they should be (and as I usually am), but if you have questions about content, read about it on IMDB. I really did not feel like there was very much for an adult to honestly be concerned about. What you read on IMDB makes it sound worse than it really is. I hardly noticed much of the language, because none of it was gratuitous (neither was the other content). Any harsh language was said from a grounded place so that the character actually sounded like they earned it. After the film was over, I was surprised it was rated R, but I guess, it follows the qualifications. I was uplifted, and it was worth it! P.S. I WOULD NOT BE INCLUDING THIS PARAGRAPH UNLESS I FELT I SHOULD  *HINT*HINT*  SEE.IT! It doesn't have 92% on Rotten Tomatoes for nothing.)

That Horny Keyboard

A writing prompt from my First Year Writing course in Fall 2009:

Find something to analyze that you wouldn’t normally analyze. A lamp. A boy in the ward. A chicken nugget. What you’re analyzing doesn’t matter as much as going through the process of analyzing. Remember this process from class: break something into its constituent parts and then try and figure out how the parts work together to create a whole.

What I wrote:
This keyboard I am using must be a very horny son-of-a-gun. All it does all day is get felt all over, which must bring great satisfaction for it since it allows it to happen day in and day out. It is not a very monogamous tool. And just like every person has favorite places where they like to be touched, this keyboard must enjoy being hit on the spacebar, since it is hit so often and is large enough to always be touched. Perhaps, its drive for such interaction is insecurity. It must feel fairly confident about its number keys, since they are set off and fondled with rarely. Consequently, it must be most self-conscious about its letter keys since those are begged to be used more commonly. Further evidence of its insecurity is how it protects itself with a plastic cover, hiding its inner workings so no one can witness any deep sensitivities. It really is a very private individual that uses intimacy as a false sense of self-assurance and appraisal.

My professor commented, "This is why censorship was invented =) "