Jennifer rocks, but writers failed other characters

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2016)

I liked Joy and her kids and her ex-husband, eventually and her best friend and grandma, but just about everyone else is despicable. You kept thinking and hoping that she was going to grab a gun and be haunted by many of them for the rest of her life. You'll understand when you see the movie. She does grab a gun, but, well, you will see. Oh yeah, Bradley Cooper's character was odd, neutral and supportive as it benefited him.
The movie is magical in Jennifer's shadow, which is cast long and wide. She is stellar. Unfortunately, there was only time to really develop one character, Joy, apparently. Every other character is fairly one dimension. It does work on a few different levels, but not all. Sometimes you are wondering, if it is supposed to be a sophisticated dark parody, but they don't sustain it.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but had a few pitfalls. It did manage to tug at the heart string a few times and you rooted for Joy to rise above the fray, sometimes you want her to burn the fray down.