Couple:

Pat Solitano Jr. & Tiffany Maxwell

Why I love it:

I didn’t immediately fall under the same spell that the rest of the world did the first time I watched Silver Linings Playbook. However, after a few rounds I developed a deeper connection to this flick once I allowed myself to relate my comparably tame crazy to this pair’s clinical psychosis.

Synopsis:

After an 8 month court mandated stint in a mental health facility following a bi-polar induced beat down of his wife’s lover, Pat Solitano Jr. has only one thing on his mind, reconciling with his wife, Nikki. Pat works hard night and day to become the man his wife always wanted him to be. Unfortunately, her fear of his rage and a restraining order make it impossible for him to initiate any attempts to reconnect. Recently widowed and equally damaged Tiffany Maxwell uses Pat’s motivation to convince him to become her partner for her newest passion, competitive dance. Because of Pat’s active imagination, Tiffany is forced to do and say anything to take his neurotic focus off of his wife and onto the dance. After spending months together, the big night finally arrives. Much to Tiffany’s surprise, Nikki makes an appearance at the event and even softens up to her husband, making room for the possibility of reconciliation. In the end, Pat snaps back to reality and realizes that Tiffany was the one keeping him balanced in more ways than one.

Couple Conclusion:

First off, this deserves a firm “right on” for having Pat grow emotionally and make a far better choice. Taking that into consideration, it does not change the fact that Tiffany is a master manipulator who will likely continue to do slightly devious things to get what she wants. Sure, this may make them more like a typical couple than any of the others in the list, but as we know, it doesn’t work out most of the time. I feel like the constant drama Tiffany would need to feel fulfilled would lead to an eventual rage relapse in Pat. Luckily, this means they are better off apart.