If I was a big time movie producer and I was given the task to produce a movie based off of the novel The Silver Linings Playbook, I would need to make many adaptations.
1. First of all, I would definitely make it a movie. Because of the length of the book and the repetitiveness of events that occur, it would be nearly impossible to make this novel into a TV show. And although Pat, Jake and his dad sing the Philadelphia Eagles' fight song on a regular basis, it would definitely not work as a musical.
2. In the book, the author goes through the life of Pat day by day, and Pat goes through a pretty repititive routine. Everyday he works out, then goes for a run (where Tiffany follows him), talks to his therapist, and then either watches football or talks about it with his family. Of course other exciting events happen in between all of this, but as a movie I think that the we would have to cut out some of the things that happen everyday, in order to keep the audience interested. If we were to show Pat running 10 miles every 30 minutes in the movie, the theater may end up empty by the end.
3. Although there are some things I would cut out, there are many things that need to be consistent between the movie and the book. For example, Pat has a few outbursts on his mother in the beginning of the book, and although these may seem like small happenings, they are essential when making the movie because they eventually show the dynamics of Pat's character and how he becomes a better person throughout. Also, the movie has to start off with Pat in the mental hospital because this sets up the whole rest of the plot. Without knowing what is "wrong" with Pat and about his bipolar disease and the misfortunes that he put his wife, Nikki, through, the audience would have no idea what is going on.
4. A spot-on cast is crucial when turning a novel into a movie. The movie that is out right now has Bradley Cooper playing Pat and Jennifer Lawrence playing Tiffany. I can see why the director of this film picked these characters, but I would have gone a different route. In the book, Pat's strong physique and buff body is constantly being brought up. Because of this, I would choose someone that is a little bigger, and fit-looking than Bradley Cooper. Maybe Dwayne Johnson. On the other hand, I think that Jennifer Lawrence would be perfect to play the role of Tiffany. The book describes Tiffany of having a nice body, but being very mysterious, but bold and daring. Because of Jennifer's look and personality, she is a great choice to play the role of Tiffany.
5. When adapting a novel into a movie, you never want to make too many changes, because the avid readers and wild fans of the novel just get angry and recommend against it to anyone they know. But in order for this movie to work, Pat cannot narrate his life and his thoughts like he does in the book. Of course Pat will remain the main character and will be in every scene, but I've seen movies with narrators, and I was not a fan. One other thing I would change is the romance between Tiffany and Pat. In the book, it takes a while for their relationship to bud into a romance, and quite frankly, they weren't very found of each other at first. In order to keep the audience involved with the movie, I will have to start this romance sooner and incorporate it more frequently throughout the movie. After all, who doesn't love a good romance?
