Silver Linings Playbook Mental Health

Hollywood’s portrayal of debilitating conditions of mental health has been historically and overwhelmingly inaccurate, increasing stigmas and stereotypes. The majority of mental health awareness seems to come from movies and media. It has been argued that television and movies are the most powerful medium for framing public consciousness (Rose, 1998). The film, Silver Linings Playbook, has attempted to be honest and stigma reducing but it ultimately ends up being a clichéd romantic comedy about a man with bipolar disorder and a woman suffering from her own mental health issues. While it is effective in giving a brief glimpse of mental health issues, it ultimately simplifies the real effects and ends with the message that true love will solve

Tiffany and Pat have been working on their routine for months and both see their practice as a form of therapy. Pat believes that the dance competition and structured practices are giving him a sense of purpose, discipline and focus. Pat’s father has turned their dance into part of a bet where they must score at least a five in the competition but when they arrive at the dance competition they see that the other dancers they are competing against are professional dancers who are scoring points of seven. Pat and Tiffany perform their eccentric, off beat dance which seems to be meant to prompt laughter and awkwardness. The choreographer for this dance, Mandy Moore, said, "The dance wasn't supposed to be a polished piece. It's supposed to look a little funky and crazy the way that they are” (People, 2012). Pat and Tiffany are painfully serious about their performance even when they don’t completely get their final lift right and we have an awkward moment where we are supposed to be laughing at the characters and their mental health concerns. Pat and Tiffany continue to get laughs from the crowd as their scores are announced, but they manage to get an average score of five and Pat’s father has won the bet. Their awkward dance and low score seems to supports the idea that those with mental health concerns will not be successful. I feel this scene further enforces that it is acceptable to find hilarity in those with mental health concerns and their lack of developed social