'Excelsior': The Power of Optimism

By: Alex 

Art by Alex

Life can hit us pretty hard sometimes. Though we all have our own problems, the way we deal with them can make them more bearable. As a glass-half-full kind of person, I view the bad and crazy elements of life in a more optimistic light. But just because things look a little happier through my eyes doesn’t mean that it’s any easier to deal with the upsets. Sometimes it’s hard to find a silver lining, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

In recently seeing Silver Linings Playbook for the first time, I connected with the story’s search for optimism—to prove that good things are possible in this world if we try hard enough. In the film, Bradley Cooper’s character, Pat, acts as the protagonist, yearning for the answer to this predicament. He strongly desires to prove that it IS possible to find a silver lining, despite living in a strange world that he can’t even explain.

In his search, Pat becomes immersed in classic literature, trying to find an outlet, only to discover that we can’t even escape life in fictional pieces. Even these books are a reflection of life—sometimes there are no happy endings.

In a desperate attempt to prove this idea wrong, Pat’s mantra becomes ‘excelsior’--the ability to turn negativity into a silver lining. I love the idea of this film because we all chase the chance for happiness. No one has a perfect life, and as we discover from the other characters in the film, Pat is not alone in feeling desperate about his past. The only way to set him apart form everyone else who suffers in the world is to give himself hope through his silver lining.

This film is great because it discusses real life--the hard problems that plague us-- without sugar coating them but also without being too dark and depressing. This story is unique, mixing both good and bad elements of life. It has the moments we hate—our greatest despair, our lowest points in life; and it has the feelings we love—holding onto hope, the possibility that there is a silver lining to even the worst of times.  

These problems in life are unavoidable, and the world will knock us down and break our hearts. We can’t escape reality. Just as the reality cannot be avoided in the books Pat reads, he discovers that we can’t change the past or the craziness or the bad stuff. What we have to do is change ourselves and continue to look for that beacon of hope. We’re on our own in the search, but once it’s found, we feel a lot less alone. We don’t have to be pessimistic to keep in touch with reality.

But there’s a difference between being realistic and being pessimistic. We don’t only have to dwell on the upsets of life to live in the real world. We can look for a silver lining and still be 100% in touch with real life. Through a powerful story, Pat shows us that anyone can turn their life around and flip a situation full of indescribable anger and misunderstanding and turn it into an opportunity to make something great out of a life.

*Also, I would just like to add that Bradley Cooper is wearing a trash bag most of this movie, yet his performance is amazing.*