Review of Joy (2015) by Aliceofx — 05 Jan 2016

Joy is one of those movies that makes you scratch your head. On the one hand it is done by talented people and you can see the bones of a good story. But it is basically like a first draft that somebody decided to shoot anyway.

For one thing the film has zero subtlety about its themes and metaphors. Zero! It feels like the director is screaming at you with a loudspeaker. And if it still went over your head then don't worry because the movie is so over narrated it feels like the film's makers believe their audience to be morons. That and the fact that this film sacrifices being a compelling tale in favour of being a hagiography of the Strong Independent Business Woman.

And yet I couldn't dislike this film, despite its many flaws. What little story there is engaging and Jennifer Lawrence does her best to humanize the character of Joy. All the other characters remain on the level or cardboard stereotypes but Lawrence adds a likeability to Joy that carries this film.

I think that in the end it will be a subjective matter whether you like this film or if it strikes a chord with you. But even then Joy can at best be described as mediocre.