Her name is Joy and life is ironic.

Rating: 7/10 (8 March 2016)

From the looks of it, Director David O. Russell plans to make an anthology of movies with his Lawrence-Cooper-De Niro squad after all. We've previously seen him working with the trio in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013). 2015 marks their third collaboration in Joy. Who can accuse him of "repetitivity" on casting duties when he has these three good actors/friends on his speed dial? Plus, third time's a charm, right? Well, that'll be up for debate.
The opening sequence flashes these words on-screen, "This film is inspired by real women, and one in particular," and in that instant, the film has already set viewer expectations that this is going to be one of those feminist, woman empowerment films. The woman we're talking about here is Joy Mangano, an American entrepreneur eminent in her appearances on the Home Shopping Network and being the acclaimed inventor of the self-wringing "Miracle Mop." Yes, the movie will be focusing on the humble beginnings of Joy's matriarchal empire brought by her efforts to sell the said retractable mop. That may not sound thrilling on paper, but Pursuit of Happiness did it in 2006 as Will Smith's character sells a bone density scanner throughout the entire film, so don't judge too early.
Jennifer Lawrence plays the titular character — a young, struggling, single mom of two trapped in a complicated home with her dysfunctional family. Along with her grandmother and two dependent children, is her socially-withdrawn mother (Virginia Madsen) who watches soap operas the whole day, her over-achiever half-sister (Elisabeth Röhm) who constantly humiliates her in front of her children, her ex-husband (Edgar Ramirez) who lives in the basement of the house waiting for his singing career to take off, and her philandering father (Robert De Niro) who just moved back in. Her vision, as a kid, of a fictional world filled with wonderments one after another is spoiled by the realization that she has fallen into exasperating routines and forlorn mediocrity amidst a circus of family drama. Might I remind again that the name of our protagonist is Joy? Life's ironic, right?
Read the full review here: http://goo.gl/H1mkbN