Sports movies have been a staple of entertainment for decades at this point. They combine all the best parts of watching sports and watching a movie, with the intensity of real-life games amplified by character drama and dynamic camera movements. Most of the time, these films follow a specific player or season to tell the most contained and engaging story possible. You may have noticed that the number of films about American football is much lower than other sports, such as baseball and basketball. Filmmakers love Aaron Sorkin and The female kingit is Gina Prince Bythewood have already shown what makes these other sports a great subject for cinema. This is because these games offer filmmakers a bit more in cinematic representations. Unlike these other sports, soccer players are in much closer contact with each other for longer periods of time and wear helmets that obscure their faces. This not only limits the physical space to place a camera to achieve more dynamic shots during a game, but the headsets prevent the audience from seeing actors’ facial expressions to give game scenes a heavier emotional weight.
But the bradley cooper and Jennifer Lawrence romantic comedy, Silver Linings Playbook, aims to be a different kind of football movie. The film uses football in every possible way, without ever showing actual matches. Rather than being a football movie about the players, it’s about how football affects its fans and uses the sport as a constant metaphor that mirrors history.
What is the Silver Linings playbook about?
Before explaining why football is so important for this film, it is important to know what it is about. The film follows Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) after he has a manic episode triggered by his wife cheating on him. After nearly beating the man she was sleeping with to death, Pat is sentenced by the court to stay in a psychiatric ward. After a few months, he is kicked out of the facility and ends up returning to live with his parents, Dolores and Pat Sr. (Jacki Weaver and robert de niro). This whole ordeal leads to Pat being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental disorder that is defined by the swing between episodes of intense mania and intense depression.
While trying to rebuild his life, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who helps him find structure and meaning in his life. Along with his relationship with Tiffany, he also mends his relationship with his immediate family, begins taking his medication, and is able to let go of some of his unhealthy obsessions.
The first aspect of the football film is the importance of community to sport. Unlike other fandoms and hobbies, sports fans enjoy regular structured events that are designed as social gatherings. This is true whether the matches are watched in the stadium, arena or field, or at home on television. It’s a stark contrast to interests like movies where the activity is centered around staring at a screen while you’re alone, or you’re watching it in a room with others, but everyone’s quiet. Meanwhile, football is riddled with timeouts during matches that offer fans a moment to talk about the game as it unfolds with friends, the sport is structured around socializing. This vibe is encouraged by other game day traditions that people follow, such as tailgating. The film highlights this aspect through the film’s 2nd act by having Pat hook up, which allows him to reconnect with his brother and best friend.
There, he also meets his therapist, Dr. Patel (Anupam Kher). This is one of the key points of the film, because at the beginning of the film, Pat didn’t really trust Dr. Patel since his therapy was court-mandated. But after bonding their shared love of the Eagles a bit on their dates, Pat finally sees his therapist as a person instead of a controlling authority figure. All through the power of fandom. The tailgate scene also shows the toxic side of fandoms when racist fans start attacking Dr. Patel, resulting in the whole party being sent back to Pat’s parents. Pat’s parents seem to be the authority figures for everyone. But even their lives are defined by football.
The two pats
Through this journey, the life of Pat is told in parallel with the 2008 season of the Philadelphia Eagles. Pat, Sr. is a devoted Eagles fan, earning most of his money from under-the-table betting on games. He is also kind of neurotic in the same way as Pat. He has very specific rituals on game day on Sundays that cause him a great sense of paranoia if not followed. It varies from remotes having to be in certain places or people having to stay where they are seated if the Eagles are doing well. With De Niro’s TOC tendencies fueled by football, the sport is also how he relates to his life and family. Football Sunday is one of the few family traditions that seems to stay constant in the family.
Pat, Jr. ends the film by talking about why Sunday was his favorite day of the week. Either way, he talks about how it’s because of his family. He knows that sport is how his parents show their love and express themselves. So while it’s often frustrating for him to deal with his father’s rituals, he still enjoys it as a time when his family comes together.
There’s a really telling scene about it in the movie where Pat, Sr. tells his son about it. After having several valid issues with each other, he admits the reason he wants his family together on Sundays isn’t just because of his superstitions, it helps the Eagles play better. It’s because that’s how he shows his love to the family, by sharing what he loves with them. He doesn’t even seem to know how to show his love if not through the lens of the game. Is there a moment in a movie that’s more “daddy” than that? Maybe the end of field of dreamsBut that’s about all.
“DeSean Jackson is the man”
The other way this film embodies football is that it uses the sport as symbolism. Throughout the film, Pat, Jr. is constantly compared to the player DeSean Jackson. Pat, Sr. specifically makes the comparison because he views Jackson as someone who ruins entire plays by celebrating his wins before reaching the end zone. He believes this is how Pat, Jr. treats his whole life. But Pat, Jr. embraces him after being reassured by his best friend and therapist that “DeSean Jackson is the man.” He wears his shirt with pride. Eventually, he wins over his family by showing them that he doesn’t celebrate victories prematurely, he’d rather just celebrate and acknowledge how far he’s come than anything perceived as a success by others.
The entire cast works like a football team. They work together, they plan around each other, they know each other’s weaknesses and strengths and use this knowledge to support each other in every life event. Tiffany even points out that the family’s ups and downs throughout the film reflect the Eagles’ wins and losses that season. Family and team are inseparable in almost every way.
“Sunday is still my favorite day”
What ultimately makes Silver Linings Playbook a football movie is that it embodies the traditions and feelings around the game rather than the sport itself. This makes the film much more realistic and personal. Especially as a member of the public, it is easier to relate to. The film embodies feelings of nostalgia for our own family’s strange and specific traditions around sports. While some people may identify with being a professional NFL player in other sports movies, many others will identify with the superstitious and comfortable feeling of your parents telling you not to sit at their favorite place on the sofa, otherwise it will ruin something. with their favorite teams winning streak.