Directed by : David O. Russell
Written by : David O. Russell, Annie Mumolo
Starring : Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Isabella Rossellini, Édgar Ramírez, Elisabeth Röhm, Bradley Cooper, Virginia Madsen
Release Date : December 24, 2015
As typical as it is, Director David O. Russell once again gives us yet another look at a dysfunctional family with "Joy." Expect the usual wacky somewhat one-dimensional cartoonish characters, the madcap scenes where people are yelling at each other, and the usual precious moments that are suppose to either be humorous or somehow just relatable enough to the average movie goer experienced with dysfunctional families. Nothing new to see here right? Yes, and No.
From the get-go, this movie felt to me to be pretty insufferable and obnoxious to sit through, and made me question why I even bothered watching it. Almost half-way through the story though, it suddenly became a movie that I actually didn't mind watching. The true point of the movie finally became more focused. I ended up becoming invested with how this story was going to end, and it did have some interesting plot developments. To my surprise, this was more than just another David O. Russell dysfunctional family story, and was an actual story that I should have been more familiar with than initially thought.
Despite the strength of the main plot, this movie is still quite frankly all over the place. The only element that's really keeping the movie from falling apart is Jennifer Lawrence playing the lead character "Joy." She seems to get frustrated with how her life is playing out in this story, just like we in the audience get frustrated with how the movie can be. With that, we instantly find a common relatable ground with the film. It's not necessarily her best work to date, but she still deserves your attention here.
There's a common theme with "Joy" about overcoming obstacles in the quest of success, as well as the strength of will that women can possess. The underlying message might be enough to recommend this, but I just wished it was a better movie than it really is.
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