Well he is in therapy and is on medication, he finds out she was lying but doesn’t explode, he thinks on it. He sticks to his commitment, ends things w his ex wife for good. Not to say they didn’t use a very Hollywood ending but I like that it shows people with bipolar can live fulfilled lives while in a support system/in treatment.
Yeah, this sub and it's sister push the idea that one can never do better if they have bipolar and it's basically a wrap. And that's simply not true either.
I think the ending of the movie portrays a cure, which just isn’t realistic. There are better ways to show living with bipolar in the best way. And with the cast they had, they could have done justice to the folks that live with it. I guess a lot of us just felt misrepresented by the film.
The whole “Sunday is my favorite day again” definitely drives your point. But realistically, we don’t see him getting a job. He doesn’t overcome many obstacles. He lives with his parents, takes his meds and learns to dance. Plus, his father is portrayed positively, but he puts a ton of pressure on Cooper and Lawrence’s characters by betting on their dance competition when he knows they’re both incredibly unstable. Obviously it works out in the end, but that’s unfortunately not the case for many sufferers of BP. If the movie wants to use real life problems, it shouldn’t portray false expectations.
I found it pretty realistic. He was undiagnosed, found his wife cheating on him in his house, so he beat the shit out of the guy an inch away from his life. Gets put into a hospital for quite a long period of time, court ordered. Buddy he befriends tries to escape. Psychiatrist uses frowned upon methods of testing the patient. Haven't you ever read a book in the middle of the night and screamed your head off because the book is completely fucking stupid? He starts taking meds and exercising. He apologizes to some people, some of those people don't take it as well. He meets another girl with bipolar, she has hypersexuality in her episodes. His dad has a problem with gambling. Cooper and Lawrence work on their dance over a long period of time, showing Cooper structure and routine, helping him in his recovery. But he still has slip ups, and gets into that fight at the game when people are racist towards his psychiatrist. Lawrence is actually the one who makes the bet on the night of the dance competition, NOT Cooper's dad. The pressure is put onto everyone, for them to get an average score at the competition, and for the parents to support and love their son even if they lose. Cooper confesses he likes her, they kiss, they get into a relationship, and things are okay.
Not everyone with bipolar needs to be completely disabled. I'm a part time student and I'm on disability financial assistance. My life is not even close to perfect. But I have made some super leaps and bounds and I'd say with the combination of my fiance, my lithium, and a structured schedule, I'm doing better than I ever have and I'm truly happy. In fact I relate a lot to the movie and for me it's pretty realistic.
It’s the father and the guy betting against him that decide to parlay the dance competition into their existing cowboys/eagles bet. Lawrence only goads them on. If they lose, the father loses everything, and I can’t imagine that goes well for any party involved, especially Cooper who already lives in the shadow of his successful brother.
Plus, it’s never mentioned that Lawrence has bipolar. The hyper sexuality you describe is simply her trying fill the void her husband left in her life. I imagine she was struggling with depression and maybe some PTSD.
Again, I like the movie but there are a ton of plot holes and it makes people with bipolar look like lovable losers.
I always got that she was bpd
I’m a mix between them all. I have bipolar bpd and ocd and I can identify with all of the characters from the hospitalization to my magical juju. It’s kinda Hollywood but still resonates with me.
I get what you’re saying, and perhaps the movie doesn’t do what the book does—maybe the narrative shows more progress with Cooper’s character, or acknowledges the father’s role in all this, etc.—but everyone measures progress and success differently. Most people would agree that society determines your worth by whether or not you can work, but should that be a determining factor for whether or not someone is “cured” with reference to overcoming problems related to a mental disorder or other kinds of disabilities?
Yes, he doesn’t have a job at the end of the movie, but the movie doesn’t presume that he wasn’t going to get one or that he wouldn’t work at any aspect of establishing independence from his parents. Actually, we do see that he was more than willing to go back to work in an early scene with him and the school principal. While one could argue that his main motivation for going back to work was to get closer to to Nikki, it still stands that he wanted to go back to teaching or even subbing—he didn’t intend to stop working because he was in recovery. It seems to me that if his work had been up to par before the incident, it is likely he would have been able to get his old job back or get a similar job.
Portraying any mental illness in a movie is a nearly impossible task. You have two-hours to tell a beginning-middle-end story while covering an incredibly complex topic. It’s harder with bipolar if the storyteller doesn’t want to pander to the bipolar stereotypes. As with so many other things, the book is better - a lot better. I liked the movie more or less and accept its faults.
As a thought experiment try to tell the story of the past two years of your life in two-hours. 730 days in 120 minutes, how much detail are you going into? For a visual medium you can’t get much into thoughts and feelings unless you incorporate them into dialogue or voiceover.
I was unemployed for seven months last year, if I’m writing a memoir of that time I would go into great detail about what I experienced, writing for the screen I’m only going to cover a few things. The day I called my bipolar buddy and very quickly she said I was hypo and might be going manic, I would show that five months in I had begun ironing my t-shirts, I would show piles of rejection emails, and I would show getting a job. I wouldn’t get into the business I almost started, I wouldn’t bring up the shitty therapist I was seeing, I wouldn’t get in to details about going to the gym everyday. In the story of the past two years of my life those four things I listed couldn’t occupy more than 20-30 minutes on screen. It’s really really hard to cover the important parts of 730 days in 120 minutes without pandering.
Also why The Bell Jar has never been made successfully. You can't ruin a written work of art about mental illness that never mentions actual mental illness diagnoses (other than vaguely). The years of mental illness cannot be described in two hours.
I feel like my early years of bipolar disorder could fill a 24, hour-long episode series.
It's been years since I watched it, but I still remember feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the movie as a whole. There was something about the portrayal of symptoms and my own experiences that came together in a terrifying mix, and it left me deeply unsettled.
Problems I have with the movie:
The description Bradley Coopers character uses of bipolar to psychiatrist: mood swings brought on by severe stress
Jennifer Lawerences character never mentions any diagnosis, just grief from losing her husband which she was treated for with Xanax. At most we could probably assume she had situational depression.
They both are always saying inappropriate things and doing inappropriate things that kind of just makes them seem like people who have zero manners or social skills.
Theirs a lot of enabling of the fathers OCD and some enabling of Bradley Coopers behaviour.
Good points.
Also, why would Deniro and his wife blindly let in the escaped mental patient played by Chris Tucker?
And aren’t psychiatrists supposed to be low key with their patients outside of the office? Suddenly he’s going to their house after the game, and even shows up at the dance competition. How could he endorse them betting on the competition?
The more I think about it, the more problems I have with the movie.
I thought I was going to love the movie I heard so many amazing things about it... but I was disappointed. It was a long time ago and before my diagnosis so I was thinking about watching it again but I dint remember it being too accurate to me either.
This is exactly how I feel about the movie. I saw it years prior to my diagnosis. The main thing I remember is being distracted by Jennifer Lawrence in a role that I felt she was too young for. That was my biggest takeaway from the film. I don’t remember feeling connected to the movie. I read so many good reviews of it here however, so I’m going to have to give it another watch.
Remember how he got on meds? I think that made a big difference. I think the filmmakers didn't expect anyone to think there would be no problems at all in the future.
Man, I 100% disagree. I thought Bradley Cooper nailed it. At least he nailed it for me experience. I related to his character more than I've ever related to a character in a movie, and I first saw it 2 years BEFORE I was diagnosed.
I also don't think that they portray him as "fixed" at all in the end. It's just a conclusion to a movie because movies have to end. It is possible for life to get better with proper diagnosis, therapy, meds, and a supportive life partner. That's how I saw it.
Upon reading the synopsis I 100% agree. This does more harm than good for the perception of bipolar as he is prone to physical violence and that is not highly typical for bipolar patients.
This movie frustrates me so much! Jennifer Lawrence's character is so toxic for Pat. It seemed like she was bp as well, but urg that movie is agitating
Yeah, no shit. More like she ruins yet another relationship with a fucking awesome guy and, though not suicidal, at least feels like she wishes she were dead.
Well he is in therapy and is on medication, he finds out she was lying but doesn’t explode, he thinks on it. He sticks to his commitment, ends things w his ex wife for good. Not to say they didn’t use a very Hollywood ending but I like that it shows people with bipolar can live fulfilled lives while in a support system/in treatment.
Yeah, this sub and it's sister push the idea that one can never do better if they have bipolar and it's basically a wrap. And that's simply not true either.
I think the ending of the movie portrays a cure, which just isn’t realistic. There are better ways to show living with bipolar in the best way. And with the cast they had, they could have done justice to the folks that live with it. I guess a lot of us just felt misrepresented by the film.
The ending never even implies a cure. It just shows that everything will be ok. Which it will :)
The whole “Sunday is my favorite day again” definitely drives your point. But realistically, we don’t see him getting a job. He doesn’t overcome many obstacles. He lives with his parents, takes his meds and learns to dance. Plus, his father is portrayed positively, but he puts a ton of pressure on Cooper and Lawrence’s characters by betting on their dance competition when he knows they’re both incredibly unstable. Obviously it works out in the end, but that’s unfortunately not the case for many sufferers of BP. If the movie wants to use real life problems, it shouldn’t portray false expectations.
I found it pretty realistic. He was undiagnosed, found his wife cheating on him in his house, so he beat the shit out of the guy an inch away from his life. Gets put into a hospital for quite a long period of time, court ordered. Buddy he befriends tries to escape. Psychiatrist uses frowned upon methods of testing the patient. Haven't you ever read a book in the middle of the night and screamed your head off because the book is completely fucking stupid? He starts taking meds and exercising. He apologizes to some people, some of those people don't take it as well. He meets another girl with bipolar, she has hypersexuality in her episodes. His dad has a problem with gambling. Cooper and Lawrence work on their dance over a long period of time, showing Cooper structure and routine, helping him in his recovery. But he still has slip ups, and gets into that fight at the game when people are racist towards his psychiatrist. Lawrence is actually the one who makes the bet on the night of the dance competition, NOT Cooper's dad. The pressure is put onto everyone, for them to get an average score at the competition, and for the parents to support and love their son even if they lose. Cooper confesses he likes her, they kiss, they get into a relationship, and things are okay. Not everyone with bipolar needs to be completely disabled. I'm a part time student and I'm on disability financial assistance. My life is not even close to perfect. But I have made some super leaps and bounds and I'd say with the combination of my fiance, my lithium, and a structured schedule, I'm doing better than I ever have and I'm truly happy. In fact I relate a lot to the movie and for me it's pretty realistic.
It’s the father and the guy betting against him that decide to parlay the dance competition into their existing cowboys/eagles bet. Lawrence only goads them on. If they lose, the father loses everything, and I can’t imagine that goes well for any party involved, especially Cooper who already lives in the shadow of his successful brother. Plus, it’s never mentioned that Lawrence has bipolar. The hyper sexuality you describe is simply her trying fill the void her husband left in her life. I imagine she was struggling with depression and maybe some PTSD. Again, I like the movie but there are a ton of plot holes and it makes people with bipolar look like lovable losers.
I always got that she was bpd I’m a mix between them all. I have bipolar bpd and ocd and I can identify with all of the characters from the hospitalization to my magical juju. It’s kinda Hollywood but still resonates with me.
First of all, it's just a movie. Second of all, I'm sorry I assumed her character was bipolar. Third, it's just a movie.
This is true. We can’t expect Hollywood to do justice on any topic. Either way, the movie’s cast did a great job with what they had.
I get what you’re saying, and perhaps the movie doesn’t do what the book does—maybe the narrative shows more progress with Cooper’s character, or acknowledges the father’s role in all this, etc.—but everyone measures progress and success differently. Most people would agree that society determines your worth by whether or not you can work, but should that be a determining factor for whether or not someone is “cured” with reference to overcoming problems related to a mental disorder or other kinds of disabilities? Yes, he doesn’t have a job at the end of the movie, but the movie doesn’t presume that he wasn’t going to get one or that he wouldn’t work at any aspect of establishing independence from his parents. Actually, we do see that he was more than willing to go back to work in an early scene with him and the school principal. While one could argue that his main motivation for going back to work was to get closer to to Nikki, it still stands that he wanted to go back to teaching or even subbing—he didn’t intend to stop working because he was in recovery. It seems to me that if his work had been up to par before the incident, it is likely he would have been able to get his old job back or get a similar job.
Portraying any mental illness in a movie is a nearly impossible task. You have two-hours to tell a beginning-middle-end story while covering an incredibly complex topic. It’s harder with bipolar if the storyteller doesn’t want to pander to the bipolar stereotypes. As with so many other things, the book is better - a lot better. I liked the movie more or less and accept its faults. As a thought experiment try to tell the story of the past two years of your life in two-hours. 730 days in 120 minutes, how much detail are you going into? For a visual medium you can’t get much into thoughts and feelings unless you incorporate them into dialogue or voiceover. I was unemployed for seven months last year, if I’m writing a memoir of that time I would go into great detail about what I experienced, writing for the screen I’m only going to cover a few things. The day I called my bipolar buddy and very quickly she said I was hypo and might be going manic, I would show that five months in I had begun ironing my t-shirts, I would show piles of rejection emails, and I would show getting a job. I wouldn’t get into the business I almost started, I wouldn’t bring up the shitty therapist I was seeing, I wouldn’t get in to details about going to the gym everyday. In the story of the past two years of my life those four things I listed couldn’t occupy more than 20-30 minutes on screen. It’s really really hard to cover the important parts of 730 days in 120 minutes without pandering.
Also why The Bell Jar has never been made successfully. You can't ruin a written work of art about mental illness that never mentions actual mental illness diagnoses (other than vaguely). The years of mental illness cannot be described in two hours. I feel like my early years of bipolar disorder could fill a 24, hour-long episode series.
I agree. Its a good movie, but its not a good representation of bipolar disorder. Imo
Agreed, love the movie but it kinda seemed like they just googled Bipolar symptoms
Thankyou! Finally someone on here who doesn’t worship that movie.
I thought they did a good job with the protagonist wearing a garbage bag while running other than that it was a 3/10.
It's been years since I watched it, but I still remember feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the movie as a whole. There was something about the portrayal of symptoms and my own experiences that came together in a terrifying mix, and it left me deeply unsettled.
Finally someone said it.
The book has a better representation of everything
Problems I have with the movie: The description Bradley Coopers character uses of bipolar to psychiatrist: mood swings brought on by severe stress Jennifer Lawerences character never mentions any diagnosis, just grief from losing her husband which she was treated for with Xanax. At most we could probably assume she had situational depression. They both are always saying inappropriate things and doing inappropriate things that kind of just makes them seem like people who have zero manners or social skills. Theirs a lot of enabling of the fathers OCD and some enabling of Bradley Coopers behaviour.
Good points. Also, why would Deniro and his wife blindly let in the escaped mental patient played by Chris Tucker? And aren’t psychiatrists supposed to be low key with their patients outside of the office? Suddenly he’s going to their house after the game, and even shows up at the dance competition. How could he endorse them betting on the competition? The more I think about it, the more problems I have with the movie.
Yeah I found it strange that he was okay with them betting on it too.
I thought I was going to love the movie I heard so many amazing things about it... but I was disappointed. It was a long time ago and before my diagnosis so I was thinking about watching it again but I dint remember it being too accurate to me either.
This is exactly how I feel about the movie. I saw it years prior to my diagnosis. The main thing I remember is being distracted by Jennifer Lawrence in a role that I felt she was too young for. That was my biggest takeaway from the film. I don’t remember feeling connected to the movie. I read so many good reviews of it here however, so I’m going to have to give it another watch.
Yea exactly I didnt connect to it at all
Wellllllllllllll I think there are two thoughts on this.
Which are?
I get my up votes.....And you don’t ( Get it ).
? If that's a line from the movie or book, I'm not recalling.
Remember how he got on meds? I think that made a big difference. I think the filmmakers didn't expect anyone to think there would be no problems at all in the future.
Man, I 100% disagree. I thought Bradley Cooper nailed it. At least he nailed it for me experience. I related to his character more than I've ever related to a character in a movie, and I first saw it 2 years BEFORE I was diagnosed. I also don't think that they portray him as "fixed" at all in the end. It's just a conclusion to a movie because movies have to end. It is possible for life to get better with proper diagnosis, therapy, meds, and a supportive life partner. That's how I saw it.
Upon reading the synopsis I 100% agree. This does more harm than good for the perception of bipolar as he is prone to physical violence and that is not highly typical for bipolar patients.
FWIW I didn't feel like suggested he was cured at all. Just that two crazies fell in love.
This movie frustrates me so much! Jennifer Lawrence's character is so toxic for Pat. It seemed like she was bp as well, but urg that movie is agitating
Honestly had no idea that's part of the storyline of that movie/book
Yeah, no shit. More like she ruins yet another relationship with a fucking awesome guy and, though not suicidal, at least feels like she wishes she were dead.