Some Good Parts, Family Characters Are Awful

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2016)

I had no idea this movie is about the inventor of the Miracle Mop. I'm glad the trailers didn't hype up that aspect because the movie didn't really seem like a biopic at all. It tells the story of Joy.
I don't see the point of having her grandmother narrate the story from the afterlife. It seemed pointless. I absolutely hated Rudy, Trudy, Peggy, and Joy's mother. Rudy tries to help Joy at times, but he's a leech like the rest of them. Trudy (along with Rudy) gives terrible business advice to Joy time and time again. She loans Joy money, but doesn't want her to make any. Why? Peggy hates Joy and constantly tries to sabotage her success. Why does Peggy hate Joy? Is she jealous? If so, of what? Joy was valedictorian in high school, but she hasn't accomplished anything after that, all her family takes her for granted, and she has no money. Joy's mother does nothing but watch TV and cause problems. They all do nothing but drag Joy down again and again, but it happens so much that I don't know why she keeps putting up with them. It's to the point that I don't feel sorry for Joy anymore. Her family hurts her, but she keeps putting up with them, so it gets to be her fault for thinking they'd help. Joy is really the only character I cared for. Most of her family members were terrible people, but even then, they could have had something to make me feel some sympathy for them, but they didn't.
I'm not a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence, but I really liked her acting here. Robert De Niro does a good job too, but I lost interest in his character. There were some cool shots, and I liked the soundtrack. Joy's endless failures got repetitive, and her's was the only character I cared about, but I cared enough that the movie was mostly enjoyable. When she finally sells her mop on TV, I felt happy for her.