Joy is the latest film from David O. Russell who some may know as the director of American Hustle (2013), The Fighter (2010) or Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Joy stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Édgar Ramírez. It tells the story of a young woman who has an idea for a new type of mop and tries to get it out there by starting a business and trying to make it big.
In recent year’s David O. Russell has provided me with some of my favourite films, some of which I have watched again and again so may times, I just love them that much. So of course I was excited to hear about Joy and just couldn’t wait to get into the cinema to see it, not only does it have one of my favourite writers/directors David O. Russell, but it also has in it some of my favourite actors (Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro). Of course I’m going to watch it, but should you though?
The actors definitely don’t disappoint, Jennifer Lawrence plays Joy in this film and totally owns the role. Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro are both great as well but don’t get as much screen time as you may be expecting. It’s actually some time into the film before Bradley Cooper appears in the story and Robert De Niro appears multiple times throughout the film but only for short times, but it’s all good. Actually when Bradley Cooper first appears in the film and starts talking I didn’t even expect him to open with a monologue, it was good and it was powerful, I loved it. The star of the show is Jennifer Lawrence though, she really is becoming one of this decades greatest actresses and her talents are definitely all on show in this film, as they are in many others.
Watch Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-5QWotzE9c
As for David O. Russell, is this his best film yet? I’m not so sure about that, while I do love Joy, I still really love American Hustle also hold Silver Linings Playbook above this film based on my enjoyment, but feel I may need to watch Joy a second time to see where it stands.
Joy has a nice screenplay and great character development, I really wanted to see Joy succeed and sell all the mops she made, but it’s hard out there in the world and it’s not easy at all to do and I loved watching the character go through it all. There are some sad emotional moments and a lot of funny ones as well and overall the tone is well balanced and doesn’t at all get boring. If you love films about starting a business you may like this a bit more than others as the mop business is quite interesting and the films gives you a lot to think about.
Costume design was well done and as a film in set some decades ago the styles and hairstyles are all interesting to look at, but it’s not the out there scale that we had with American Hustle, but still good. The music is great and the way it all links in to the period was excellent. The only real gripe I had with the film was the soap opera scenes we occasionally had to watch during it, they were a bit annoying and for me it took me out of the experience.
Joy is one of the few films out there that has a full female lead character and tells a female story, if it makes it as far as being an Oscar’s contender it will be one of the few non male based stories in the mix, which may be reason enough for people to go along to see it, it’s different, but it’s also very good and is quite inspiring. I left the theatre thinking that I should have a go at making a product, to be honest maybe more people should and I like that about this movie.
Overall Joy is an entertaining comedy/drama about a woman who wants to sell her mops to the world and grow her business, but it’s not as easy as it sounds, the world is tough and it’s hard out there. It’s an uplifting story that many people will enjoy and relate to. The actors are all excellent, but in particular Jennifer Lawrence really stands out as she always does and David O. Russell did great with the film. It’s something good to see over the Christmas break and I’m happy to recommend it.
