Silver Linings Playbook is the 2012 film adaptation of Matthew Quick’s novel The Silver Linings Playbook, published in 2008. Written and directed by David O. Russell, the movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Though the story contains some heavy subject matter, the characters are highly entertaining, particularly Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). After attacking his wife’s lover eight months ago, Pat has just returned home from a mental health facility. He meets Tiffany, whose husband recently died, and the two find themselves comparing each other’s “craziness”. While Pat is determined to get his wife back, Tiffany wants him to be her partner in a dance competition.
Eventually, Pat agrees, believing that Tiffany will help him with his wife. At home, Pat’s mom (Jacki Weaver) and dad (Robert De Niro) encourage Pat to get closer to Tiffany and forget about his wife, who was cheating on him. Pat seems reluctant to be associated with Tiffany, and they often bicker while skirting around their mutual feelings of attraction. The main focus of the film, however, is Pat’s mental health journey. Throughout the whole film, he is very determined and driven, and he never loses sight of his goals – though his goals change a few times during the film. Here are some of the best quotes from Silver Linings Playbook that capture the chemistry between the characters.
- Pat: This is what I learned at the hospital: you have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.
- Pat Sr.: You know, I’m going to start a restaurant. It’s going to be a cheesesteak place.
Pat: How you going to pay for it?
Pat Sr.: I’m going to pay for it. Don’t worry about it.
Pat: From your bookmaking?
Pat Sr.: Who told you that?
Pat: Mom told me. Outside.
Dolores: I did not. No, I didn’t.
Pat: You just told me outside, Mom. What are you talking about? Five minutes ago, we were walking up the stairs, she said, “Don’t say anything, but Dad lost his job and he’s bookmaking.” - Pat Sr.: Listen, Patrick, she’s gone. She’s not around anymore. Nikki left.
Pat: What are you doing, Dad? Excelsior! Excelsior. Excelsior.
Pat Sr.: What does that mean?
Pat: It means, “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to take all this negativity, and I’m going to use it as fuel, I’m going to find a silver lining, that’s what I’m going to do.” And that’s no bullsh*t. That’s no bullsh*t. That takes work, and that’s the truth. - Pat: I just can’t believe Nikki’s teaching that book to the kids. I mean … The whole time you’re rooting for this Hemingway guy to survive the war and to be with the woman that he loves …
Dolores: It’s four o’clock in the morning, Pat.
Pat: And he does … He survives the war … and he escapes to Switzerland with Catherine. But now Catherine’s pregnant. Isn’t that wonderful? She’s pregnant. And they escape … and they’re going to be happy, and they’re going to be drinking wine and they dance – they both like to dance … There’s scenes of them dancing, which was boring, but I liked it because they were happy. You think he ends it there? No! He writes another ending. She dies, Dad! I mean, the world’s hard enough as it is, guys. It’s f*cking hard enough as it is …
Dolores: Pat, you owe us an apology.
Pat: For what? … I’m not going to apologize for this. You know what I will do? I will apologize on behalf of Ernest Hemingway because that’s who’s to blame here.
Pat Sr.: Yeah, have Ernest Hemingway call us and apologize to us too. - Pat: You look nice.
Tiffany: Thank you.
Pat: I’m not flirting with you.
Tiffany: Oh, I didn’t think you were.
Pat: I just see that you made an effort, and I’m gonna be better with my wife. I’m working on that. I wanna acknowledge her beauty. I never used to do that. I do now. Just practicing. How’d Tommy die? - Pat: You have poor social skills. You have a problem.
Tiffany: I have a problem? You say more inappropriate things than appropriate things. You scare people.
Pat: I tell the truth. You’re mean. - Tiffany: I saw the way you were looking at me, Pat. You felt it, I felt it, don’t lie. We’re not liars like they are.
- Pat Sr.: When life reaches out with a moment like this, it’s a sin if you don’t reach back.
- Tiffany: There will always be a part of me that is dirty and sloppy, but I like that, just like all the other parts of myself.
- Tiffany: Why did you order raisin bran?
Pat: Why did you order tea?
Tiffany: Because you ordered raisin bran.
Pat: I ordered raisin bran because I didn’t want there to be any mistaking it for a date.
Tiffany: It can still be a date if you order raisin bran. - Tiffany: You know what, forget I offered to help you. Forget the entire f*cking idea, because that must have been f*cking crazy because I’m so much crazier than you!
- Tiffany: You might not have experienced the things that I did, but you loved hearing about it, didn’t you? You’re afraid to be alive, you’re afraid to live. You’re a conformist. You’re a hypocrite. You’re a liar. I opened up to you and you judged me!
- Tiffany: I do this! Time after time after time! I do all this sh*t for other people! And then I wake up and I’m empty! I have nothing!
- Tiffany: You let me lie to you for a week?
Pat: I was trying to be romantic. - Pat: The only way to beat my crazy was by doing something even crazier. Thank you. I love you. I knew it from the moment I saw you. I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up.
- Pat: The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday. That’s guaranteed. I can’t begin to explain that. Or the craziness inside myself and everyone else. But guess what? Sunday’s my favorite day again. I think of what everyone did for me, and I feel like a very lucky guy.
