Silver Linings Playbook: Mental Problems Galore

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know how much I love “mental illness” movies.  As a Biblical counselor, I often weirdly wish that I could have the opportunity to offer help to the fictional characters in these films.  And, when an entire dysfunctional family is on display on the big screen, it really gets my attention!  So it was inevitable that I find the time on our recent family vacation to watch Silver Linings Playbook.  Even though there was way too much foul language and one sadly explicit sex scene, it was worth seeing.  The acting was outstanding.  Bradley Cooper impressed from beginning to end as the lead mentally ill character, Pat Solitano.  Pat’s parents, played by Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver were superb.  Although I’m not a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence, she did play her part extremely well.  The only thing lacking was I wish that the very funny Chris Tucker would have had a bigger role!

Silver Linings Playbook centers on Pat’s life after a stint in a mental institution.  He moves back home with the dual goals of getting his teaching job back as well as his wife (mainly his wife).  This is Pat’s “silver lining playbook”–his master plan to find a way to better himself and find the little bit of sunshine amidst the clouds of his life.  Instead, his silver lining turns out to be Tiffany, another person with significant mental problems.  And, in the middle of all of this, the drama unfolds with Pat’s OCD father and co-dependent mother, as well as sundry other characters with issues.  The bottom line is that there really isn’t a “normal” person in Silver Linings Playbook, including Pat’s psychiatrist, Dr. Patel.

And I really think that’s one of the main messages of the movie–that we all have mental problems.  Or to be more specific: We all have mental problems and there are very good reasons for them, thank you very much.  For starters, Pat became labeled as having Bipolar Disorder after he caught his wife having a steamy affair, beat the man senseless, and lost his teaching job.  Tiffany developed all of her problems after her husband was killed (she blamed herself for it).  We are also led to deduce that Pat developed issues from growing up in a family with an OCD father and enabling mother.  His friend Ronnie, one of my favorite characters, was immensely stressed out from his job and marriage.  And, the list goes on.  Silver Linings Playbook really captures the Biblical reality that all human beings are fallen, weak, and broken.  What is most refreshing about Pat and Tiffany is that they don’t try to hide it, but attempt to deal with it instead.

A second major message in the movie (although some may disagree) is the futility of the various methods of dealing with mental problems.  Pat Sr. and Dolores (Pat’s parents) represent the approach typified by denial and avoidance of the problems (wonderfully connected to professional football, I might add).  The mental institution seemed pretty ineffective, as well as psychological medication (the side effects outweighed the help).  At one level, Dr. Patel was a very “normalizing” influence on Pat, but his counseling was fairly useless.  Pat’s “positive mental attitude” efforts to get his health back,  job back, wife back also fall short.  This futility motif really made much of the movie very depressing!

The last message of Silver Linings Playbook is a worldly form of redemption and restoration.  Due to one last complicated gamble, Pat Sr. gets his money back so he can finally start his own restaurant.  The family as a whole appears to open up and be  a bit more functional. Even Pat’s friends seem to solve their problems.  At the center of this redemption is the new-found love relationship between Pat and Tiffany.  Sure, Pat doesn’t get his wife back, but at least he gets to move on and find love again.  And, to be honest, Tiffany really manipulates and deceives Pat in order to help him fall in love with her.  Even his family helps her out with this strange “intervention.”  But, hey, these are people with mental problems living in a fallen world, so what do you expect?  A little silver lining is better than constant cloudiness!

All this pseudo-redemption (falling in love seems to be the primary form of the world’s redemption) should lead Christians to be deeply thankful for the better redemption in Jesus.  We are all broken and fallen, with no hope in this world.  Jesus is more than just a silver lining in our altogether cloudy lives.  He is the Light of the World!  He is the Bright Morning Star!  His life, death, and resurrection dispels all of the clouds and darkness and hopelessness.  Our “playbook” reveals our eternal victory in Christ!

The Godfather: Never go against the family

Maybe it’s because I’m part Italian.  Maybe it’s because I was raised on the south side of Chicago.  Or maybe my father just indoctrinated me at an early age.  Whatever the reason, I’ve had a deep fascination of the mafia for as long as I can remember.  The Godfather. Parts I and II have been my top two favorite movies since high school (It’s a Wonderful Life is a close third–I know, an ironic juxtaposition).  So, over the Christmas holidays, I passed on my love for these movies to my eldest daughters–at their request, of course.  As Don Corleone always says: “Never go against the family!”

When I preview Gangster Squad this coming Thursday, I will address the issue of viewing violent, gun-centric movies in this time of increased calls for gun control.  Films about the mafia can certainly glorify some pretty bad guys and romanticize a particular period of American history.  Much of the time, it’s virtually impossible to discern who’s “good” and who’s “bad” in these stories, as corruption typically runs rampant across the board.  The Godfather clearly attempts to justify the misdeeds and violence done by the Corleone family; yet at the same time, it depicts the depressing futility of their lives.

If you have never taken the opportunity to watch these Academy Award winning films, you have probably heard some of the now famous quotes:  “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”  “It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.”  “Someday–and that day may never come–I’ll call upon you to do a service for me.” “He taught me: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” “We don’t discuss business at the table.”  And, my personal favorite: “A man that doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”

The Godfather really is all about family.  At the very beginning of the first movie, Michael Corleone tells his girlfriend Kay some of the seedy parts of the family business.  He proclaims very self-righteously: “Kay, that’s my family, not me.”  Michael worked hard to keep his distance from the family, pursuing a legitimate career rather than follow in his father’s footsteps.  His father, Vito, also wanted Michael to stay clean and out of the family business.  This all changed when Don Vito Corleone was nearly assassinated.  In a touching scene  next to his father’s hospital bed (yes, even mobsters can be touching), Michael declares that his is now fully “in” the family and “with” his father.

Michael quickly rises to power just as his family descends into total chaos.  His oldest brother Sonny is murdered by another mobster family.  His sister Connie is regularly abused  by her husband.  His first wife is murdered in Sicily.  His father dies.  In Part II, Michael, now the Godfather, has his brother-in-law killed, as well as his wimpy, turncoat brother Fredo.  His wife aborts her child and then leaves him along with his other two children.  In one particularly poignant scene, Michael asks his mother if it is possible to work so hard for your family and end up losing them in the end.  This is exactly what happened to the most powerful head of the family.  Even though he thought he had committed his life to holding his family together, he was actually the main culprit in its total destruction.

Now, you probably aren’t part of a mafia family (I hope).  But does that mean you would never do anything to tear apart your family?  I think it’s safe to say that we all desire our families to be close and for members to love one other.  And yet, ever since Cain killed his brother Abel, we are all susceptible to the anger, pride, envy, jealousy, and overall lust for power that turns family member against family member.  Any one of us can become a Michael Corleone, justifying our vengeful actions against those we love the most.  We may never murder another sibling, but we can speak and act in such ways that bring about severe division and destruction.

Like other mafia “families,” the Corleones extended past their biological connections to include their entire business organization.  When one of the Corleones’ hitmen testified before a Senate committee, he informed the members that the Corleones were not a criminal organization, but a “family.”  In a similar way (yet without all the guns), Christians are a part of a much bigger family than their biological unit.  Thankfully, we are children of God, not of a Godfather.  And we are connected to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

So my closing question is: How do you treat others as a member of God’s family?  Do you emulate God the Father, showing grace, mercy and love to His children?  Or, are you often more like the Godfather, operating out of anger, power, passion, and revenge?  May God give us the grace to love one another as Christ, our elder brother, loves us!