“Joy” Movie Review

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Isabella Rosselini, Virginia Madsen, Edgar Ramirez, and Bradley Cooper

Rating: 2/4

Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence and directed by long-time collaborator David O. Russell, never got its feet off the ground throughout its two hour running time. It intends to tell the inspiring story of Joy Mangano, the QVC-turned-HSN billionaire responsible for creating and marketing products such as the Miracle Mop. It intends to be a rags-to-riches underdog story that everyone can relate to. The way Joy was written does it absolutely no service. To say the least, I was disappointed. David O. Russell has been on a hot streak since 2010 with hits such as The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. All of these films had ambitious narratives and entertaining characters and dialogue. Where the earlier Russell films were frank and to the point, Joy dwells on her unlikable family for a good half of the movie. I was never sure what Joy is about or where the plot was going.

Jennifer Lawrence saves the film. I am a big fan of her acting, and she was the only performer who didn’t disappoint. In my opinion, she is the only reason why this film is worth watching. I admit, once the film started going in the direction I wanted and expected it to go in (cue Bradley Cooper), I started to become invested. Despite this, the film reverted to its original flaws, flashy dialogue and obnoxious performances (including one of Robert De Niro playing Joy’s father).

In short, Joy was a disappointment on the part of Russell but is only watchable due to Jennifer Lawrence’s great performance.