乌云背后的幸福线

What is normal? Behave like everyone else? Talk in a way that makes sense to the person you're talking to? What if the other party is too normal to make sense with?

I think this film comes from the wool carpet laying on the bottom of David O'Russell's heart, the director. Somehow he, as a father of a bi-polar son in real life, I assume may be the semi-bi-polar father played by De Niro in the film, trying so hard to "make sense"/normalize his son by throwing his very own way of thinking directly at him, wishing he could just swallow it and become healthy again like taking medicines, effective swiftly and immediately. He, personally, must have experienced that phrase, yelling desperately to have his ill son make sense to him until he ends up tired. It is those little threads whistling in the film that inspire me of the conclusion above.

I love the scene where Tiffany made a dramatic scene on the street with Pat after storming out of the diner having been pissed by Pat's accusation of her sluttishness. At that moment, among the noise and finger-pointers, she came to him and amazingly tuned down the provocative song in his mind to a stop. SHE JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE TO HIM, and that's amazing. Who are we that define what is normal or what is not? And how do we do that, by quantity? Like 10 of us here, if one behaves differently from the rest 9, that makes him/her abnormal?Have you ever wondered if there's something wrong with yourself that makes you impossible to fit in a certain group or circumstance? If yes, that scene might be your scenario, but do believe there's a Tiffany in there or elsewhere hanging as well.

Truth be told, I've been dying to see this film for months ever since a bird sending good words about it from the Cannes film festival where it was debuted to the world. So, as you may have guessed following the trend, it turns out not as high as my damn expectations. Those hilarious parts have mostly been revealed in trailers, and the storyline as a whole doesn't really give me much a vibe - I was looking, staring, ready to be amazed yet I was also wondering the whole time, not being turned on most of the time. In other words, I was not as excited. BUT, tears were coming down spontaneously towards he end and it's warm-hearted.

Performance, by the two leading actors but not limited to, is really great, for sure being the brightest lining of this film. I'd say Bradley Cooper surprises me even more since he's always been in my mind the pothead who looks incredibly good. God, he still looks good consistently in this film but managed to convince me of the role with his performance. Jennifer Lawrence, known for her exceptional beyond-age maturity, has claimed her name again in the battle confronting the veteran De Niro. So, in my assumption, this Silver Linings Playbook would pin down most of its nominations into awards in the performance categories just like its predecessor The Fighter yet without the Best Picture trophy. Genuinely, I'd give it a 3.5 rating based entirely on the output but rounded it up to 4 given to my own hard work in expecting to see it so long.

Among the Best Picture nominees of the Academy Awards I've personally checked so far, 5 titles (Life of Pi, Amour, Argo, Djangle Unchained, and Silver Linings Playbook) with another 4 to complete the list (Lincoln, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Zero Dark Thirty, and Les Miserables), I'd go between Life of Pi and Argo, the later of which is a sophisticated and surprisingly funny thriller that reaches up to my contentment. I'd lean onto Pi a bit more given specially the spiritual reason, but I bet the academy would chop it down for as traditions they just simply hate high-tech package (references are Avatar and Inception).

Anyway, to Jennifer Lawrence, good luck to your second nominations in the Academy and hopefully a much-deserved Oscar.

 

《乌云背后的幸福线》作为花神的爱片，自然要认真阐述一番，要说的话，必须从导演开始说起。认识大卫·欧·拉塞尔是因为《改编剧本》，后来又断断续续看了《斗士》，《乌云背后的幸福线》，《夺金三王》等影片，大卫·欧·拉塞尔是一个很少能够给人带来惊喜的导演，他的电影可以说是中规中矩的商业电影，创作方式非常传统，而这也是很多好莱坞导演的通病。《乌云背后的幸福线》这部电影的成功很大程度上也归功于编剧马修·奎克，他用荒诞的方式呈现出一个充满温情的故事，而这个故事的背后折射出来的问题是时下很多人面对的问题，认同，自我认同以及社会认同还有相关的沟通问题。

本片以帕特和蒂凡尼的感情历程为主线，通过性格，行为以及人物情感的转变勾勒出一类人的生活的状态。两个人的共性就是因为家庭内部的矛盾以及不和谐造成的困扰，而这也是两个人能够走到一起的根本原因。基于这样的共性，两个人在彼此之间找到了认同感。但是，帕特和蒂凡尼这两个角色，并不是传统戏剧中充满悲剧或者充满喜剧的人物，导演并没有给这两个人物的性格进行设定，而是采用了一种比较特别的方式，就是精神疾病患者的心理状态以及行为属性。这类片子可以说很常见《羞耻》里面的迈克尔·法斯宾德，《禁闭岛》中的莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥，《梦旅人》中的恰拉和浅野忠信等等角色都是基于这样的设定。这几部电影都有一个共性就是压抑而忧郁的基调，但是《乌云背后的幸福线》可以说是一个另类，本片采用的是喜剧的方式，讲述了一对精神病人的情感以及人生的最终归属问题，而这种设定和主流观众的审美以及观影态度非常契合，这也是本片能够获得成功的主要原因。

大卫·欧·拉塞尔的所有电影结构都很简单，这部电影也不例外，整部电影没有一点关于情绪的渲染，除了两个人参加舞蹈比赛可以说一个小高潮之外，整部电影都在神经质般的絮絮叨叨中度过，除了布莱德利·库珀和詹妮弗·劳伦斯之外，本片还有一个亮点就是罗伯特.德尼罗，他和儿子之间的关系正是本片探讨的另一个命题——沟通问题。拉塞尔在阐述人物之间的关系的时候并没有按照传统的叙事方式，而是通过带有喜感的方式来处理人物身上的缺点，其中人物彰显出来的强迫症，偏执感，抑郁暴躁的情绪完完全全是生活的夸张版，布莱德利·库珀和《火柴人》中的尼古拉斯凯奇非常像。

本片中的台词也是一大亮点，以往，在伍迪.艾伦的电影中才能看见百无禁忌，机关枪式的对白，但是在拉塞尔这部电影中也能够体验到美式咄咄逼人的幽默和风趣。

认同，自我认同以及社会认同

本片中角色的“认同”体现的非常明显，而“认同”本身就是心理学的常用词汇，帕特和蒂凡尼的“认同”基于两个人背景，生活以及性格的相似性，所以在这一点上并不难理解。自我认同，可以说是两个角色回归正常生活以及情感的一个交代，而这种自我认同并不是个人行为，而是双方的促进行为，这样的设定增加了戏剧张力，让整部电影免于平淡化。社会认同其实是两个角色回归于社会之后，对所从属的群体以及这个群体身份所伴随而来的情感以及价值观上的认识和肯定。

拉塞尔用非常细腻的手法表现出两个人的转变，“惟一与我的疯狂匹配的方法，是你也做同样疯狂的事。”每一部电影或多或少都有导演自己的影子，从主观的角度出发，电影就是导演对待人或事的态度，这部片子也不例外。这部片子将常见的家庭沟通问题以及个人情感的归属问题进行了夸张化的描述，描述的问题可以说每个家庭都或多或少的存在，帕特和蒂凡尼身上的特点以及属性总能不经意间照进现实。


                                                                  ——本文致敬可爱的花神基

1.有个叫Neil Pasricha的家伙被老婆甩了，大抑郁，想出一招，每天想三件很棒的事让自己开心，后来他的The 3 A's of awesome理念串红网络。这电影不是他的传记，但我猜他会喜欢，我的偶像tal估计也会喜欢。我当然也喜欢。

2.the Accidental Tourist里丧子的威廉赫特被没文化、穿着夸张但性格爽朗的泼辣女人吉娜戴维斯拯救，戴维斯当年毫无悬念得了奖，不过她报的是女配。

BC的角色是历史老师，讲起和老婆的关系一大串形容词文邹邹很唬人；最后表白不直说要先写信。警察的老婆听得一愣一愣，她不会这些花活，她直接得一点也不含蓄一点不拐弯抹角。偏偏大老粗女人们就吃这一套，怎么办！文化差异大的两口子只在电影里才比翼双飞。电影里都未必，伍迪艾伦来拍好不了几天又大吵大闹肯定得分，这样的两个人哪里有共同语言呢？哪里能长久啊？

所以说一件事，积极心理的人看到的是互补，悲观主义者看到的是有缘无分。

拜托，他都已经疯了，还管什么门当户对，有个女人喜欢他不错了。方德和苗翠花不也恩爱一辈子？

3.大方向就对了。像去年的the beginner,硬生生把正常人拍成抑郁症了。真要拍疯子戏，必须是喜剧，必须《读者》路线，必须肤浅，才够好看。所以，他妈的海明威，扔掉！他妈的蝇王，扔掉！

当然，要拍“深沉”的大师戏，要让观众进入严重亚健康状态是导演的创作自由，只不过那种俺就不奉陪了。

故事是看不到半小时就知道结局，所以看点就在于怎么拍。还是斗士的老路子，群戏好。老两口萌死人，就连那个妻管严死党，也是一开口笑翻天。

德尼罗真是老树发新芽，老爷子哭的那场戏，估计全场观众都融化。

4.斗士里我最感动的一段是艾米亚当斯说，我曾经把我的人生搅得乱七八糟，现在我要重新开始。这台词几乎照搬给劳伦斯了，DOR应该也是喜欢强悍女人的吧。劳伦斯未必比艾米演得好，亮点还是小姑娘小小年纪扮老不怯场。

20年前要有这部戏，应该是薇诺娜瑞德吧，香港人翻拍的话，阿sa吗？

JL这丫头要么是智商高要么是经纪人太优秀，真是会挑角色。

5.跳舞比赛那场戏直接穿越周防正行。笑得很开心。

6.这片最感动的倒不是情情爱爱，是兄弟重逢，2货哥哥说了一堆炫耀的2b话，弟弟什么也没说，躁狂没发作，反倒过去抱着哥来句我爱你。啥叫正能量，这就是。

7.最后搜了下简历,24岁欲望城市打酱油，26岁双面女间谍男2号（当时就觉得这俊脸比男1号美），30岁终于在婚礼傲客里露脸，34岁总算遇到担大梁的宿醉，36岁在limitless才名正言顺男主角，德尼罗老爷子助阵。

37岁，第1个奥斯卡提名。摩羯男的人生，缓慢前进，但一直目标坚定啊。

8.这片怎么看都像夏季档，怎么也不像颁奖季啊。

歇斯底里症（hysteria），又被称为癔病，是一种较常见的精神疾病。其表现为在一定精神状况或存在外部诱因的情况下，病人由于恐惧而无法控制自己的行为。发病年龄多数在16至30岁之间，女性远多于男性.
情感爆發：病人在精神因素作用下突然失常，哭叫、打人、毀物等，發作时有輕度的意識狀態，發作後部分遺忘. (correct me if I'm wrong)

Bipolar: 躁狂抑郁症. 患者介乎于狂躁, 正常, 抑郁, 正常 … 的循环


我不介意看 Chick Flicks. 因为无一例外的都有 绝对帅哥美女的主角, 插科打诨的搞笑配角, 感人的剧情高潮, 以及Happy Ending. 但看多了又确实疲劳 完全预料之中的剧情，矫情的对白, 唯美但却老套的摄影.

就像 Fighters 制造出黑暗的运动励志片, Siver Linning 产生了歇斯底里的Chick Flicks.
与经典Chick Flicks不同之处： 1. 运动的手持镜头以及Stedi-cam 2. 犀利睿智的台词 3. 深入肌肤的表演 4. 置身其中的声效剪辑运用.（特别说一点关于摄影, 大部分主观或者带有主观色彩"motivated"镜头都是手持, 然后很多转折, 或者重头戏, 运用的是快速运动的Stedi-cam, smooth 但又不象Crane那样的平直. Fighter的开头也有见到）

片子一开场 Pat就是出现在精神病院里, 后来慢慢透露出他是 Undiagnosed Bipolar. (两极症) 容易失去控制.
而他自己认为他的一切所作所为是他对妻子的爱以及对婚姻的忠贞不渝. 他相信Happy Ending，他相信乌云背后总有幸福线, （风雨之后见彩虹?）他相信EXCELSIOR.
他的几次疯狂表现, 一次在心理医生的等候室, 因为听到他的wedding song. 失控了. 然后马上克制住自己.
然后是凌晨四点看完海明威的书, 到父母的房间把作家批判l一番.
最严重的一次是半夜在楼顶找自己的结婚录像带, 找不到而后和父母大闹, 打伤了父母, 并招来了警察.
之后不太犯病了(是开始吃药了)
几次发疯无论电影本身的设置，还是演员的表演， 都很真实，令人恐惧但又深表遗憾, 我觉得相比 “傻子”角色，这类表演更加震撼, 几乎就是身边的同龄人，自己也经历过的情形.


可以判断Tiffany的精神紊乱是她丈夫Tommy的死后产生的. 相对Pat对他老婆的念叨叨, Tiff很刻意的不想提到她老公. 也可以说是有意识的想忘记.
有一点很迷惑的是, 我们几乎可以肯定Pat的 Movtivation一直是为了见到他老婆(前妻), 但Tiffany最开始的动机是什么呢？这一点又影响到之后她为什么跟着他跑步, 为什么要和他“约会”， 以及为什么要和他练习舞蹈. 最源头她姐姐姐夫让她过来吃饭又是什么目的？(想要撮合他们？给他们hook-up的机会？ 介绍他们作为病友认识？还是Tiffany对Pat好奇主动找的？)
第一次见面:
PAT: Tiffany and…Tommy? RONNIE: Yeah. Just Tiffany. PAT: What happened to Tommy? RONNIE: He died.
PAT: Tommy died? RONNIE: Cops die. PAT: How’d he die? RONNIE: Please, don’t bring it up. PAT: No, how did he die?
TIFFANY: How did who die?
PAT LOOKS UP TO SEE VERONICA’S SISTER TIFFANY ENTER: THEY LOCK EYES IMMEDIATELY. SHE IS TALL, STRIKING, INTENSE. She walks to Ronnie and Pat, who is unsure how to behave.
RONNIE: Hey, Tiffany! This is Pat. Pat, my sister-in-law Tiffany.
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 that now. ‘Cause we’re gonna be better than ever … Nikki. Just practicing. How’d Tommy die?
TIFFANY IS STUNNED. RONNIE CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT PAT JUST SAID.
PAT (CONT’D): What about your job?
TIFFANY: I just got fired, actually. PAT: Oh, really? How? PAT (CONT’D): I mean, I’m sorry. How’d that happen?
TIFFANY Does it really matter?
 
跳舞的出现
VERONICA: "You know, Tiffany's been doing this dance thing for years and she’s real good at it. She's gonna be competing at the Ben Franklin Hotel."
 

要他送
TIFFANY: I said I’m tired. (to Pat) Are you gonna walk me home or what? PAT: You mean me?
TIFFANY: Yeah, you. Are you gonna walk me home? 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. But you’re mean. TIFFANY: What? I’m not telling the truth?

到家门口
TIFFANY: Listen, I haven't dated since before my marriage so I don't really remember how this works.
PAT: How what works?
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. I live in the addition around back, which is completely separate from my parents' house, so there's no chance of them walking in on us. I hate the fact that you wore a football jersey to dinner because I hate football, but you can fuck me if you turn the lights off, okay?
 

Tiff之后就是跟踪他跑步
TIFFANY: I was a big slut, but I'm not anymore. There’s always gonna be a part of me that’s sloppy and dirty, but I like that, with all the other parts of myself. Can you say the same about yourself, fucker?! Can you forgive? Are you any good at that?
 


Tif 最Hysterical的表现又以下几点, 跟着她跑步. Halloween要Pat带她去吃饭, 结果他们去了个Diner. 她坚持认为这是一个Date, Pat坚持不是. 之后的经典对话
TIFFANY: I’d have to be careful. I'm already on thin ice with my family, you should hear how I lost my job.
PAT: How did you lose your job? TIFFANY: By...having sex with everybody in the office. PAT: Everybody?
TIFFANY: I was very depressed after Tommy died. It was a lot of people.
PAT: We don't have to talk about it. TIFFANY: Thanks.
PAT: How many were there? TIFFANY: Eleven. PAT: Wow. TIFFANY: I know.
PAT: I’m not gonna talk about it anymore. TIFFANY: Okay.
PAT: Can I ask you one more question? Were there any women? TIFFANY: Yes. PAT: Really? TIFFANY: Yes.
PAT: What was that like? TIFFANY: Hot. PAT: Jesus Christ. Was it like…older women, a sexy teacher who wants to seduce you
TIFFANY: Made me sit on her lap and do things? Yeah.
PAT: What? You sat on her lap? TIFFANY: Mm-hmm.
PAT: She told you what to do? TIFFANY: Mm-hmm.
 
她觉得自己被judge了, 一怒之下摔盘子走人.
之后在电影院门口又发疯说她被Pat非礼, 警察一来又说没事.
OFFICER KEOGH: You're Tommy's widow, right?
TIFFANY: Yes, I'm Tommy's crazy whore widow, minus the whore thing for the most part.
OFFICER KEOGH: You’re a funny girl. You wanna get a drink sometime?
TIFFANY TURNS AND WALKS AWAY.
OFFICER KEOGH (CONT’D): What’d I say?
PAT: She doesn’t, she doesn’t do that anymore.
 



Somehow, 从他们开始练舞以后, 她就变正常了, 女人的魅力慢慢显现出来.


必须要插一句, Pat在球场遇到冲突那一段完全就是Fighter的复制.
Silver: 哥哥为了民族矛盾打群架, 弟弟因为有probation在身, 旁边人劝他不能打. 观众揪心知道他不能打, 他自己也知道不能参与在旁边纠结. 最后时刻他不忍眼睁睁看着哥哥被人欺负就上去打了, 一上去打警察就来了…
Figher: 哥哥拒捕与警察打群架, 弟弟因为比赛在即, 旁边警局朋友劝他不要去. 观众揪心知道他不能去, 他自己也知道不能参与在旁边纠结. 最后时刻他不忍眼睁睁看着哥哥被人欺负就上去打了, 一上去打警察就来了…



老头子很Superstitious. (believes in "Juju") ， 总是有Meet the Fockers 里的角色的影子
Pat Sr.: Have Ernest Hemingway call us and apologize to us, too.
老妈很像 Everybody Loves Raymond那样爱唠叨 瞎操心.

Chris Tucker演的Danny这是个搅屎棍, 每次都毫无压力的从精神病院溜号出来, 医院来抓他, 他又乖乖回去. (他是真的飞跃疯人院了), 而且喋喋不休，没人知道他在说什么.
关键是他指导的舞蹈动作很难看, 不协调而且音乐古怪. 要不是他瞎教Pat和Tif应该拿更高分.

Randy 这个老流氓， 我一直觉得就不该出现在他们家. 作为一个铁杆球迷, 怎么会每次都让对手球迷到家里来蹭吃蹭喝？ 赌赢了老头子的钱不说, 还不断说风凉话落井下石. 关键是怎么从来没人赶他走？

片子对比赛的描述非常写实. 不是刻意捏造比分为了迎合剧情, 而是真实依照Eagles 在NFL赛季的表现以及故事时间轴. 老头子好像一直都在看Eagles(橄榄球)，但不知道为什么Tiffany要顺便报Phillies(棒球)的比分. (作为充分不必要证据吧) 08年 Phillies拿了World Series冠军. Eagles也进了半决赛.

这段对话发生在输掉比赛当晚
(11/09/2008) Eagles 31-36 Giants

TIFFANY
“The first night that Pat and I met at my sister's, the Eagles beat the Forty Niners handily, forty to twenty-six. ”
(10/12/2008) Eagles 40-26 49ers
“The second time we got together we went for a run and the Phillies beat the Dodgers seven to five in the NLCS.”
(10/14/2008) Phillies 7-5 Dodgers
“The next time we went for a run the Eagles beat the Falcons, twenty- seven to fourteen.”
(10/26/2008) Eagles 27-14 Falcons
"The third time we got together we had Raisin Bran in the diner and the Phillies dominated Tampa Bay in the fourth game of the World Series, ten to two."
(10/26/2008) Phillies 10-2 Rays
"Well, why don’t you think about when the Eagles beat the Seahawks, fourteen to seven."
 (11/02/2008) Eagles 26-7 Seahawks

大结局的比赛是
12/28/2008 Eagles 44-6 Cowboys



 (相反我认为跳舞最终他们刚好拿到5.0的平局分太"Happy Ending"了)


那个拿DV想拍采访的小孩, 他在电影里的作用到底是什么？ 黄金龙套吗？ 谁帮我解读一下.


Brilliant Qoutes from Matthew Quick.

“I will not be quoting Hemingway anytime soon, nor will I ever read another one of his books. And if he were still alive, I would write him a letter right now and threaten to strangle him dead with my bare hands just for being so glum. No wonder he put a gun to his head, like it says in the introductory essay.”

“Life is hard, and children have to be told how hard life can be…So they will be sympathetic to others. So they will understand that some people have it harder than they do and that a trip through this world can be a wildly different experience, depending on what chemicals are raging through one’s mind.”

“I don't want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings.”

“Do you like foreign films?”
“With subtitles?”
“Yes.”
“I hate those types of films.”
“Me too,” Cliff says. “Mostly because - “
“No happy endings.”

我看它提名奥斯卡硬是压着自己看完了，结果完全看不进啊。。好多剧情莫名其妙，该多表现的戏份又不够充分，就2个神经病（美国这年头随便个夫妻问题造成男女自个儿唠唠叨叨就算是神经病了。。那个被婚姻事业压迫的男配角都比他们更像有精神问题），你答应帮我送信，我答应和你一起去跳舞（跳舞？？？什么剧情啊！），还有他爸赌球，导演硬是硬生生把这2件事扯一块了。
剩下唯一的一点期待『他俩怎么还不上床』导演都没满足我。。这种片怎么能提名奥斯卡？硬生生地表现那么一点美国社会精神问题的现实？失望啊。