"Joy" *Non-Spoiler* Review

Joy is the wild true story of Joy Mangano who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty. Director David O. Russell does an admirable job telling this story as you watch Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) struggle her way up from poverty, only to be knocked down by strangers and those closest to her, but ultimately claw her way back on top of the mountain. Joy is an emotional movie as you watch how tough and cruel today’s world can be. Even though you know the outcome of the film, you find yourself rooting for Joy the entire length of the movie. Jennifer Lawrence gives an Oscar worthy performance as Joy. She hits an emotional chord as you hit on every single emotion possible throughout the film. She proves yet again, that she is one of the best actresses out there in Hollywood today. Robert De Niro (Rudy) plays Joy’s father and his performance is second only to Lawrence’s. De Niro’s Rudy is the ever so relatable father who looks out for his child but will lean on them for support quite often. Rudy is a character you cannot quite put your finger on. Sometimes you will think he is for Joy, while at other times you will think he is against her. Finally, Bradley Cooper (Neil Walker) is a joy, no pun intended, to watch in his limited screen time.  That is where the negatives of Joy start. While Joy is the story of the title character, that does not mean the other side characters need to be forgotten. Aside from De Niro’s Rudy, no characters were given the depth for you to care for them. Tony (Edgar Ramirez) is Joy’s ex-husband but you are given very little details of their relationship except for the time they first met. The film is narrated by Diane Ladd (Mimi) and it felt rather useless to do so. All in all, aside from the story and the performance of Jennifer Lawrence, there is not much in Joy to be very joyful about. Yes, that pun was intended….My apologies.

Conclusion: Director David O. Russell is back with Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper but he cannot quite capture the magic he did with Silver Linings Playbook. While Jennifer Lawrence turns in a trophy-worthy performance, her counterparts are not given enough time or depth for you to really care about their characters. Aside from the story Joy told, there was nothing to get you excited about in the film. The true story of Joy Mangano is heartwarming, astonishing, and inspiring for many, sadly the movie about her is quite average.

SCORE:                 6/10 – AVERAGE