Silver Linings Playbook Book Trailer

Book Talk

Post 5- "Not Fake vs Fake"

When I was little I always reminded myself that non-fiction was "not-fake." If a book was made up then it was fiction a.k.a "fake." I read non-fiction books to be informed about something. I don't want to read a book about, I don't know, lions and have the author tell me that they live in Australia. Yes lions might be in zoos in Australia so it technically isn't "lying" but on the other hand it isn’t 100% accurate. If you produce a memoir that is 95% true then why can't you make a note at the beginning of the book saying "loosely based on..." Or maybe even make it a loosely based fiction? Either would work for me.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth..." This oath that people recite every time they are in court might just be similar to what happened to Frey when he was on the Oprah show. These comparisons might be a bit of a stretch, but from the way Oprah reacted, Frey might as well be a criminal. Frey's story was probably really good before he came out with the truth. I bet it changed some people lives when they read it. And I bet he wished he had said that is wasn't entirely the truth before he published the book. I personally haven’t read the book, but I know that I would have mixed feelings on whether it would still be a good book or not. I mean a book is a book. If an author wrote a story about their life and called fiction then later called it non-fiction I probably would have a hard time believing what was real and what wasn't. And vise versa. 

          I think that you do need to differentiate non-fiction verses fiction. If I want to read about someone’s life then I will pick up a NON-fiction book. If I want to read a fantasy, romance, sic-fi, etc. book then I will get a fiction book. Some people get emotionally involved with peoples memoirs. I bet that some people feel like they can relate to something that the author had gone through and it could mean something HUGE for that person. I can't imagine being told that parts of a memoir were made up or exaggerated. If an author wants to write a memoir and then say it was a lie later, probably will do them much good. I mean, "the truth will set you free" after all.

Post 4- Silver Linings Playbook

There are a lot of scenes within Silver Linings Playbook that have a whole lot of meaning to the story. The main character, Pat has recently been released from his “away time” at a mental hospital where he spent four years of his life away from the love of his life, Nikki. Now that he is home, he is doesn’t really know where his life is going except for the fact that he is going to get his wife back. When his friend Ronnie invites him over for a dinner, he meets Tiffany. This scene would be important to have in the movie because she plays a big part in Pats life as soon as he meets her.

            Another scene that the movie should have is where Pat’s dad punches Pat. Since the point of view from Pat, you don’t get to see other characters thoughts or their past. This scene shows you that Pat’s mental disorder has affected his family more than he thinks. Most fathers wouldn’t punch their son for no reason and his dad (from what I have read) doesn’t strike me as a character that would want to solve a problem physically.

            The diner scene where Pat and Tiffany go on a “date” is important too because it is where they get to know each other. Pat tends to ask the “elephant in the room” questions that everyone wants to know, but are too afraid to ask. And Tiffany is the person to answer all the questions without second thoughts, and is pretty open about her life. They complement each other very well, but they both don’t realize it until later in the book.

Like I said, most of all scenes in the book play prominent part in the overall plot so scenes that they could cut could be some of the therapy scenes. Pat has to meet with his therapist Cliff on a regular basis. They pretty much talk about Nikki, Tiffany, and just life. A writer could cut and condense some of the scenes into one or two, but still get all the main points across. Another scene they could cut is when Pat exercises he tends to think about his wife, Nikki. It would be hard for the writers to get his thoughts into the movie without it being awkward or out of place in the movie. While it is important to know how the main character is thinking, the movie writers could find a way to incorporate them in another way.