Review of Joy (2015) by Jeff B — 07 Jan 2016

A performance piece chronicling a woman surviving the everyday American Hustle and bustle in search of a Silver Linings Playbook, Joy inspires little of the confidence and emotion of its subject but succeeds chiefly thanks to an ace lead turn. Even "loosely" based on the storied life of Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano, the film never proves nearly as fascinating as much as the basis behind it. Hell, even the title flirts with tedium. Granted, the end product presents some truly invigorating moments, punctuating long maudlin stretches with an occasional flash of brilliance. Of all of David O. Russell's recent works (going back to 2009's The Fighter, the writer-director has had an amazing creative run, culminating in many awards including a Best Supporting Actress win for Lawrence), this is by far his least assured. Despite boasting some flight of fancy-ful moments wouldn't be out of place in the whimsical I Heart Huckabees and some bounty-ful character exchanges seemingly cut from the same mold as the often fun romp Three Kings, his latest nonetheless generates a viewing experience that's a lot less Joy-ful than his top shelf works.

In this R-rated story of a family set across four generations, a woman (Lawrence) rises to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.

Lawrence absolutely captivates in the title role, going from Girl to Woman-hood on-screen in a mother/daughter/wife/entrepreneur role that keeps audiences invested. While filmgoers may tire of Russell working with the same marquee names overall, she and De Niro delight while Cooper - though doing fine work - neither adds nor subtracts much from the proceedings.

Bottom line: Miracle Mope.