Books2Movies Club discussion

Has anyone read this inspiring novel? I read it during a week holiday in Turkey and I just couldn't put it down.
I watched the movie 2 weeks ago and I was extremely disappointed!
I hate who easily criticises movie adaptations. I wrote the dissertation for my degree in literature about adaptations. To me they're just telling the same story using a different media, hence why they need to "cheat" the book in order to be faithful.
I have watched every movie David O. Russell has directed and I honestly believe he's a great director and storyteller.
However they way he has destroyed the whole narration by giving away upfront the main secret.
I understand and agree with changes; but the ones he's made seem pretty pointless and very detrimental.
Don't get me wrong: the movie is pretty damn good (fuelled by award-grabbing performances by Lawrence and Cooper). But the whole discovery you experience in the book, through the point of view of the main character has completely disappeared in the movie.
Anyone would like to comment?

I couldn't agree more with this. I went into the movie thinking very little adaptation really needed to be made. However it seemed the whole focus of the book changed to the love story rather than Pats problems. The release of the secret early and no mention of memory loss I felt was a huge change as well as the portrayal of the father. If I had not read the book I probably would have loved the movie. But frustration of how different made the movie very disappointing

That is why I like to see the movie before reading the book if at all possible. I find that I'm not disappointed when I read the book after seeing the movie - in fact it usually more fully develops what happened in the movie. I don't get bored reading the book although I might already know what's going to happen. I am able to compare the two (book and movie) easier and when I see the movie, I don't know what's going to happen or have any preconceived notion of how the characters should look etc. I plan on seeing Silver Linings Playbook soon then will decide whether to read the book.

I've just downloaded this book to my kindle as I've read some great reviews. May well give the movie a miss though, especially if I love the book.

One of my daughters and I are planning on seeing the movie this afternoon. I had the book from the library and was planning on reading it first, but had to return it -- someone else had it on reserve next! ;o/

Liz wrote: "One of my daughters and I are planning on seeing the movie this afternoon. I had the book from the library and was planning on reading it first, but had to return it -- someone else had it on reser..."

I thought the movie and book were both great, but I'd definitely recommend seeing the movie first. If you read the book first, you'll probably be disappointed by all the changes and things left out. If you save the book for last, you'll be pleased to get the "extra" story info.

Claire wrote: "I've just downloaded this book to my kindle as I've read some great reviews. May well give the movie a miss though, especially if I love the book."

I would definitely recommend the movie. Just see it before you read the book.

Thanks for the advice, I was going to start the book tomorrow but maybe I'll hold off for a while then :)

I couldn't resist reading it! I found it a very good read, written in a similar vein to The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. The latter half of the book had me on the edge of my seat at times and was incredibly moving.
I may well leave it a few months before watching the movie so I can enjoy it on its own merits.

Claire wrote: "I couldn't resist reading it! I found it a very good read, written in a similar vein to The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. The latter half of the book had me on the edge of my seat at times and was i..."

I know, I was the same way. I couldn't wait to see what happened. . .even though I'd already seen the movie. I thought it was really good. I think you'll like the movie, even though there are alot of differences. Bradley Cooper did a great job with the character.

Good to hear :) I like Bradley Cooper as a rule so was hoping he portrayed Pat incredibly well.

I was lucky to have seen the movie first, so I enjoyed the movie just as much as the book. They WERE very different however.
I can appreciate the changes they made in the film, especially wanting to make it more comedic. The film took on a lighter tone, so it appealed to a wider audience I guess, which is not necessarily a bad thing, given the subject matter.

What did kind of bother me about the movie however, where the little details. Certain names on football jerseys...a certain song...
Little things that wouldn't alter the story line, but would be enjoyed by fans of the book, were simply changed.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence both did excellent jobs in my opinion. I could be a bit biased having seen the movie first, but they really did seem to do the characters justice.

OK, I'm late to this party. I saw the film a long time ago (in pre-release), and I really liked it. The acting and the dialog were both quite good. While I think Jennifer Lawrence deserved the Academy Award for her role in Winters Bone more than she did for this one, it was still a great performance on her part.

I have not read the book, which apparently is a good thing based on the comments above. I'll add it to my list. It does sound intriguing!

I am working my way through the book right now and I love it so far! Haven't seen the movie, looks like I will be waiting a few months to watch it. I love reading the books first before I see a movie and if there is a let down at all I like to have a few months inbetween.

This discussion was so good that I wondered is it really necessary to open a new one, just because the book was made into a book of month. Somehow it seems better to continue this existing one - your comments here deserve attention, especially if some of you haven't already read the book or seen the movie.

So, freely add any comment and thought you might have of the book and/or the movie :)

Margaret wrote: "That is why I like to see the movie before reading the book if at all possible. I find that I'm not disappointed when I read the book after seeing the movie - in fact it usually more fully develop..."

That is too funny. I'm the opposite. I like to read the book first, then watch the movie. I find that if I watch the movie first, there's no way I go back to read the book. I do this because I like to see how close the movie stays to the book. I really enjoyed this book, so we'll see about the movie.

I read the book in one day and immediately watched the film. I was so disappointed in the movie after just having read the book. Many of favorite parts of the book were completely missing or changed for the film. And not changed for the better. But people I know who didn't read the book absolutely loved the film, so I am sure if I did not read the book I would have had a different opinion of the movie.

I recently read this book for another group that I participate in. I absolutely loved the book. I thought Pat was such a great character and the way that he saw life was refreshing....silver linings and all. I have not seen the movie yet. After reading so many people's reactions to the movie that have read the book....I am not so sure that I want to??

Jaime wrote: "I recently read this book for another group that I participate in. I absolutely loved the book. I thought Pat was such a great character and the way that he saw life was refreshing....silver lini..."

You should definitely see the movie. The cast gave great performances. There are many changes in the movie, like there always is, but it's still a great movie. Just enjoy it for what it is and know ahead of time there will be some differences.

I saw the movie upon its release, and am just reading the book. I really liked the movie, but the book develops the character so much more. The book also highlights some of the dysfunction in Pat's own family....his dad is pretty interesting, and the great lengths they go to keep secrets secret....

All in this is a boom that I don't want to end.

I found this book quite disturbing, I found the character Pat quite frightening. I admit it was well written as it had such an affect on me, but I didn't like the characters as people. I didn't really think that the book was a romance, more about mental health and violence. I am glad that I read it, but won't be watching the movie any time soon.

Update: I recently watched the movie and found that it seemed completely different than the book. The last name changed, the Kenny G aspect was a different song, etc. It seemed more of a romance movie than about Pat's struggles.

Zoe wrote: "I found this book quite disturbing, I found the character Pat quite frightening. I admit it was well written as it had such an affect on me, but I didn't like the characters as people. I didn't rea..."
I think that you would enjoy the movie. It was more of a romance movie than about mental illness.

Carly wrote: "Zoe wrote: "I found this book quite disturbing, I found the character Pat quite frightening. I admit it was well written as it had such an affect on me, but I didn't like the characters as people. ..."

Perhaps I will give it a go then!

I read the book after seeing the movie - which I try not to do, because it usually spoils to book for me - I keep seeing the actors in my mind, even if the author is describing them completely differently. On the other hand, if I read the book first - i'm usually ok with watching a movie after and pointing out the differences...
Either way - it was a cute book! Not too "heavy", but definitely not as "light" as the movie. I really felt for Pat, but at times he also really pissed me off! I understand that he is a mental patient and that i can't expect rational behavior, but sometimes I really wanted to smack him and tell him to snap out of his Nicky delusion. There were also very repetitive parts, for example where he keeps saying that "he runs fast, not because he's a man, but because he's a good runner" (Pat says this in the book at least 7 times) – this kind of thing was annoying. Especially because he's supposed to be bipolar not slow - he doesn't act like a bipolar person, he acts like he's mentally slow... Which would be fine if that was the illness that the author chose to give him - but it seems that the author thinks this is how bipolar people act and talk and uses the two illnesses interchangeably... Which they are definitely not.

While in the movie I thought the father was quirky and cute, in the book his father is even worse than Pat! He annoyed the hell out of me! Why wasn't he ever treated for whatever illness he has?! And how come he's gotten away with psychologically abusing his wife for so long?! The whole dysfunctional family gave me the creeps in the book, while I found them cute and loveable in the movie :)

Otherwise, entertaining book, and while mostly well written, at times sounded like a silly narrative.

Hi. I actually prefer to watch the movie first b/c if the book and the movie (are not exactly the same... Which they are never ) I tend to get really disappointed . Plus i can compare a face that I or the writer would have given them to the actual ppl that portray the characters in the movie. This way I can actually have a visual of what i am reading .

Being someone who works in the field being portrayed their are obvious things i disagreed with but I found the movie to be light hearted and entertaining as well. I am happy that the author chose this topic for his debut novel and it has helped to bring attention to such a serious issues w/in our culture but i found it to be a very easy and silly (the book) at times as well.

Overall I did enjoy the movie and the book .

I finally read this a couple of weeks ago. I liked it overall, though it wasn't my favorite. I'm almost certain I wouldn't want to watch the movie, though. Too many disturbing elements and just not my idea of a good time. I was surprised how things were worked out with Tiffany, because frankly, throughout most of the book I found her rather terrifying, at least as far as how she could potentially be using Pat. I chuckled every single time he mentioned his "nemesis, Kenny G," however!

I've just read the book and wow it impressed me. It really opens a whole new perspective on how to care for and empathize with mentally unstable persons. The subject was sad, but still positive if one looks on it as one person's somewhat twisty path to health and mind recovery.

I didn't quite understand the illness Patrick had, it wasn't ever specifically named, I think. Maybe it is better - this way Patrick remained mystery whole the time, as he was to his family. I had to tap in the dark together with them and hope one's actions will do more good than bad to Patrick.

I appreciated the way book depicts family relationships. I was really pleased to see how much his family cared for Pat. Even his so alienated father, in his so strange way. Tiffany's actions were on the other hand really shocking. I would react exactly the same way everybody in the book did. What I still do not understand, was her lack of good judgment. That was really horrible what she did.

On reading your comments, I get movie is quite different from the novel, but I still hope I'll like it regardless.

Alana wrote: "I chuckled every single time he mentioned his "nemesis, Kenny G," however! "

Haha that humming made me smile too, especially when he was forbidden to discuss Eagles -- I didn't really expect he would understand that command so literally!

I've seen the movie yesterday. And ummm... You were right. I shouldn't have seen it so soon after reading the book. On its own, it has some charms. Both Lawrence and Cooper did great job and were interesting as a couple.

However movie really veered too much from the book. It wasn't that lighthearted and that positive as the movie was, in all the segments, from the characters to the theme and the story. Although there was one really terrifying moment (view spoiler)[when Cooper knocked his mother down and got in fight with his dad (hide spoiler)]. Still, I didn't quite believe in their illness(es). I felt they behaved more as spoiled children testing limits to which they can enervate the people who surround them. Book was so better in depicting mental illness and it took it more seriously than the movie does. I don't know. It is so sensitive theme I have no real life experience in, maybe I am wrong.

On its own, it is all right movie, in a Hollywood way of doing things. Had it been done in Europe, no way story would be done that way :D

I read Silver Linings Playbook and watched the movie today for my movie/book club. The book was really good.
Pat's mother gets him out of a mental health facility that he was sent to after he had a breakdown and has a restraining order from his wife. His father won't talk to him, everybody is obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles football team, including his therapist and his friends try to hook up with Tiffany, who may have as many problems as Pat does.
I thought the movie was also very good though my other book club member thought the book was much better. I don't want to give spoilers away so will not go into details. But the movie, while changing things, did a nice job in staying with the theme and mood of the story. Highly recommended. Jennifer Laurence earned her Academy Award on this one, and Bradley Cooper his nomination.