Official Tagline: Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.
Written by: Annie Mumolo Original Story and David O. Russell Screenplay
Directed by: David O. Russell
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro[Rudy], Bradley Cooper[Neil Walker], Édgar Ramírez[Tony],| Virginia Madsen[Terry], Isabella Rossellini[Trudy], Diane Ladd[Mimi], Elisabeth Röhm[Peggy], Dascha Polanco[Jackie]
Joy is the latest collaboration between director David O. Russell and star Jennifer Lawrence, with mixed results this time. Joy isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination. Joy is the story of Joy Mangano and her trails and tribulations to get her first invention, the self-wringing mop made and marketed despite her family of lazy, ingrates and back stabbers.
The marketing for the film stresses that this is based on a true story and you can see why; no one would believe a fictional character would put up with a family like Joy contends with. The support cast does a good job of being awful people that no one in their right mind would put up with. Isabella Rossellini is quite effective as Rudy’s rich girlfriend/ super bitch and I kept hoping Joy would just punch her in her smug face, but of course that would be a satisfying moment in the film and O.Russell went out of his way to have nothing satisfying in this movie.
Jennifer Lawrence is always good, but this isn’t an Oscar worthy performance, not even worth a nomination, especially when compared to Charlize Theron in Mad Max Fury Road who got snubbed by the Academy. Jennifer is pleasant as Joy and does as good as this light weight material allows her to be, but the story isn’t very interesting and there is a voice over at the end of the film that attempts to fill in more of Joy’s successes and it make the viewer wish that the film makers had shown those event instead of two hours of mop adventures.
Joy will not leave you joyful that you spent $12 bucks to see it in theaters or a DVD purchase, wait till it hits Netflix and the thinness of the story won’t seem quite so transparent.
Screen Writer Ink
Fade In Is Just The Beginning