It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2015)

Writer/director David O. Russell continues his hot streak of great movies with his latest, "Joy" that takes the concepts of 'Believe In Yourself' and 'Never Give Up' out into the back yard, beat them down, half dead, till they can finally fight back. It's an emotional roller coaster ride that only Russell's go- to girl, Jennifer Lawrence can deliver and she did, and anybody who's ever had doubts about Lawrence as an actress will come to terms with her hard hitting abilities after watching "Joy."
Co-starring David O. Russell's usual suspects like Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, accompanied by other equally outstanding talents such as Edgar Ramirez, "Joy" is inspired by real life entrepreneur, Joy Mangano who went through difficult times to eventually become multi-millionaire through her miracle mop invention and her Ingenious Designs company. So I'm not sure how faithful "Joy" is to this true story because it's not an adaptation, it's original screenplay and I think David O. Russell injected much of his signature style, the family aspects and how certain family members can often hold you back.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Joy who since she was a little girl has always been fascinated with creating and inventing, she has sharp imaginative mind, but it gets locked away for years after her parents divorce and her marriage crumbles. She finds herself being the center of the universe of these good- for-nothing penniless family members and ex-husband mooching off her. Struggling to raise her kid while keeping her head above water, she taps into her childhood wonder and focuses on an idea. But it's not an easy smooth- sailing journey because her family members, as always, get in the way, doubting her, telling her to be realistic and just forget about her dreams. Joy keeps pushing through the storm, working on getting the right people and getting the right investments to believe in her idea, anytime there's a glimmer of hope, something else often comes in and crushes it. But Joy keeps rising up again and again and again.
Much of "Joy" reminds you of David O. Russell's "The Fighter," any moment I was just expecting Jennifer Lawrence to get in the ring and point to people around her and say, 'I'm the one fighting OK, not you, not you, and not you.' But in all seriousness, I think part of the appeal of stories like "The Fighter" and "Joy" which I'm sure captivated David O. Russell as well is the underdog achieving American dream despite discouraging voices around them, it's the same reason why we champion Rocky Balboa. And Jennifer Lawrence is so fierce and fearless in her performance, it really is a privilege to watch her do her thing, because her wide range of emotions are absolutely incredible and it's so effortless on her part. You feel for her character, Joy, every step of the way.
I think "Joy" is a very important film that everybody and their grandmas should see, because it doesn't just show the hardship of entrepreneurial spirit, but it also goes to show that the road to having the life that we want is not easy. There are moments when you think Joy is finally going to catch a break, but something happens that pushes her down the stairs to rock bottom again. But it's all in the trajectory, Joy chooses to search inward for strength and keep looking up. Many of us can relate to this story, especially yours truly, I've lost count how many times people have told me that Rama's Screen isn't going to get me anywhere, that it's just a hobby, that I shouldn't give it a 100%, but I think you don't have to struggle through owning a business to understand where Joy is coming from. Yes, life happens, I've heard that excuse a thousand times, but it doesn't mean that you can't happen too.