Books at the Box Office: Silver Linings Playbook

While there are a million and one books adapted to movies, it seems, it is a little more rare to see them actually win Oscars and other film awards, and that’s why I was actually surprised to learn that Silver Linings Playbook was a book before it was an Oscar-winning film.

From Amazon:

A New York Times bestseller, The Silver Linings Playbook was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. It tells the riotous and poignant story of how one man regains his memory and comes to terms with the magnitude of his wife’s betrayal.

During the years he spends in a neural health facility, Pat Peoples formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. When Pat goes to live with his parents, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends are saddled with families; the Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, making his father moody; and his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy.

When Pat meets the tragically widowed and clinically depressed Tiffany, she offers to act as a liaison between him and his wife, if only he will give up watching football, agree to perform in this year’s Dance Away Depression competition, and promise not to tell anyone about their “contract.” All the while, Pat keeps searching for his silver lining.

In this brilliantly written debut novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind, deftly showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. The result is a touching and funny story that helps us look at both depression and love in a wonderfully refreshing way.

I personally haven’t read this book, I’ll admit it, but i’ve heard good things, and I did enjoy the movie, so let’s move right on to that because I think in this case, the movie made people want to read the book even more.

The trailer:

The movie, which was released in 2012, stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in the main roles, but it’s also got Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker, and Julia Stiles in supporting roles. It was directed by David O Russell, who also directed American Hustle, and The Fighter with Matt Damon. The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars (including in all 4 acting categories, which is huge) and Jennifer Lawrence ended up winning for Best Actress.  The movie’s super well done, very moving, and I agree that Lawrence gives a killer performance. I also think this movie did a lot for Bradley Cooper as an actor–perhaps eve paving the way to A Star is Born.