Joy (C) Movie Review
Joy stars Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano, a young mother of two, whose life is a bit of a mess. Her mother never leaves her room, Joy's ex-husband lives in her basement, she's the only one bringing in money for the family, and now her father is moving into the basement. Something needed to change. So Joy begins to do what she does best, invent things. She makes a prototype of a new product, the Miracle Mop, and tries to change things for her and her dysfunctional family.
David O. Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle (two great films), brings a rather disappointing effort to the table with Joy. Still, Russell is a great director of actors and this continues to be true.
Jennifer Lawrence is easily the best part of Joy, delivering an impassioned performance as Joy Mangano, a strong woman who makes it in the world of consumerism with unrelenting spirit and determination. And the film works best when we see Joy reinventing herself and using the rules of consumerism to leverage herself. But even then, Joy really works in bursts. The scenes with Bradley Cooper at the QVC, scenes in which Joy is trying to sell her Miracle Mop, are particularly excellent. They're even thrilling to a certain extent, watching Cooper and Lawrence get into fierce bouts of compelling dialogue. The duo have undeniable chemistry.
The film also works partially as a comedy. There are some amusing character quirks and some jokes that will feel very familiar in style to audience members familiar with Russell's previous works. But if Joy is being billed as a comedy, it probably shouldn't be. Though Joy isn't completely tonally coherent (there are some odd injections of good-natured humor), it's mainly a drama. And the film doesn't work as a drama. Because the characters surrounding Joy Mangano are so static and have little to no arc, the conflict between Joy and her family is also pretty bland.
Speaking of characters, Joy is really the only interesting one. She's the only one with an arc, the only one who evolves before our eyes. We see her come into her own as a businesswoman and this transition is really fascinating to watch via Jennifer Lawrence. And although Robert De Niro does some pretty solid supporting work here, as well as the rest as the ensemble, they don't have much to do and the characters are pretty one note. Also, I should mention that the ending feels very tacked on, convenient, and I didn't buy it.
But Joy has inspired bursts of energy, enthusiasm, and true fun that almost warrant the film a recommendation, combined with the great performances. As I mentioned, the QVC scenes are spectacular. The character of Joy has some good moments. The film never fails to be entertaining, if not as inspirational as Russell might've hoped. You can clearly see his passion about this project and his wanting to make a film about strong women, so the effort and intention are there. Still, with this many talented people involved in a project, things definitely could've gone better.
FINAL GRADE: C
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for brief strong language
David O. Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle (two great films), brings a rather disappointing effort to the table with Joy. Still, Russell is a great director of actors and this continues to be true.
Jennifer Lawrence is easily the best part of Joy, delivering an impassioned performance as Joy Mangano, a strong woman who makes it in the world of consumerism with unrelenting spirit and determination. And the film works best when we see Joy reinventing herself and using the rules of consumerism to leverage herself. But even then, Joy really works in bursts. The scenes with Bradley Cooper at the QVC, scenes in which Joy is trying to sell her Miracle Mop, are particularly excellent. They're even thrilling to a certain extent, watching Cooper and Lawrence get into fierce bouts of compelling dialogue. The duo have undeniable chemistry.
The film also works partially as a comedy. There are some amusing character quirks and some jokes that will feel very familiar in style to audience members familiar with Russell's previous works. But if Joy is being billed as a comedy, it probably shouldn't be. Though Joy isn't completely tonally coherent (there are some odd injections of good-natured humor), it's mainly a drama. And the film doesn't work as a drama. Because the characters surrounding Joy Mangano are so static and have little to no arc, the conflict between Joy and her family is also pretty bland.
Speaking of characters, Joy is really the only interesting one. She's the only one with an arc, the only one who evolves before our eyes. We see her come into her own as a businesswoman and this transition is really fascinating to watch via Jennifer Lawrence. And although Robert De Niro does some pretty solid supporting work here, as well as the rest as the ensemble, they don't have much to do and the characters are pretty one note. Also, I should mention that the ending feels very tacked on, convenient, and I didn't buy it.
But Joy has inspired bursts of energy, enthusiasm, and true fun that almost warrant the film a recommendation, combined with the great performances. As I mentioned, the QVC scenes are spectacular. The character of Joy has some good moments. The film never fails to be entertaining, if not as inspirational as Russell might've hoped. You can clearly see his passion about this project and his wanting to make a film about strong women, so the effort and intention are there. Still, with this many talented people involved in a project, things definitely could've gone better.
FINAL GRADE: C
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for brief strong language