Joy to the world

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2016)

Joy is the kind of woman whose shirt is always sullied with the stains of others. She is the linchpin to a ball and chain family of has- beens, could-have-beens and never-will-bes. They firmly wrap their collective fingers around her ankles like a decaying hand from the grave, and hold her until she becomes the failure that will justify their own. For if Joy can't do it, who can?
David O. Russell takes what could have been another drab biopic about a person overcoming the odds, and makes a quirky fairy-tale of familial and business politics where Joy is Cinderella and Prince Charming is success. Ironically, halfway through, the movie lost me slightly as it gained focus, for its biopic DNA began to reveal itself. I preferred the freewheeling nature of the first half. And at times, "Joy" feels too chock-full of good ideas that don't give each other time to breathe, such as an interesting soap opera element present during the beginning of the film that doesn't go anywhere and then goes away. It reminded me of a similar tool used on this last season of "Fargo."
I've read others who find that Robert De Niro was miscast as Joy's man-child father, but I highly disagree--they said the same thing about "True Confessions," where I also disagree. He nails the comedic nuances in Russell's script that a lesser actor--or actor not as in tune to Russell's humor--might have missed, such as his bashful smile as he flirts with a widow over the phone. Isabella Rosellini also stands out, though her character has a jarring conversion from farcical to menacing. Jennifer Lawrence continues her upward trajectory as an actor, getting a chance to flex her non- crazy muscles.
While "Joy" isn't quite as good as it could have been, it's still a good time.