Joy

Went in knowing next to nothing about this, and pretty much loved it. Engaging story with good characters, and a flawless performance from Jennifer Lawrence.

This isn't anything like I expected from the trailer which gave the impression of a woman living many lives with a string of storylines abound in perhaps a convoluted plot. In reality, it's about a mop. That's marketing. It's about a mop made by a woman who keeps her dependant, dysfunctional family afloat without so much of a glimpse of time for any self-care. The characters are diverse and have depth, even if you did wanna punch them in the face. Jennifer Lawrence and the characters she plays are always an inspiration which is what this film was.

Beautiful Jennifer!
Love to see her working with Bradley Cooper one more time.
Edgar Ramírez was so fun and cute!
Dascha was AWESOME!
This move is good!

Jennifer Lawrence is becoming a Meryl Streep level actress. Hugely enjoyable to watch, convincing, a captivating beauty, yet somehow still a girl next door.

This is a vehicle for her to showcase and she does shine. It's an interesting real-life story which is quite sad as she is surrounded by a horrendous family - made bearable only by very good actors!

It felt slightly formulaic as many rags to riches stories do. But we'll worth a watch.


7.25/10

I had no idea what this one was about when it popped up for my Movie Club. On one hand, very happy it was much more enjoyable than expected. I love my biopic style movies, and for better and worse this is one of them. It is pretty middle of the road in terms of execution, which is saying something considering the topic material might possibly be the worst of them all.

Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching

Directed and written by David O. Russell, Joy is the remarkable true-ish story of a woman’s struggle to realize a dream. Loosely based on the life of Joy Mangano, the film follows a divorcée and mother of two who’s inspired to create a revolutionary new kind of mop, but in order to make and sell it, she’ll have to risk everything. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper, the film has a strong cast that delivers excellent performances. The writing is also quite impressive, particularly the dialog; which simplifies all the business wheeling and dealing and makes it understandable. Still, there are parts of the film that don’t work, and the Joy character is over idealized. Yet overall, Joy is a compelling story about empowerment and perseverance.

A bit too theatrical, but a good one in the see of blockbusters.

I never enjoyed Russel's last film, American Hustle, so I approached this with trepidation. I'm pleased to say that it mops up that movie's stain and delivers an interesting true life tale that the cast and director stylishly convey.

Terrific job by Jennifer Lawrence, clearly stepping up her career.