A disappointment

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2015)

A movie written and directed by David O Russell and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper - a trio involved in the wonderful "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle" - is one to excite any cinema-goer and, as the cast list also includes such veteran actors as Robert De Niro and Isabella Rossellini, expectations were understandably high. But sadly the film is a disappointment and only the ever- watchable Lawrence in the central role elevates it above an even-worse assessment.
The title refers not to an emotion but to a person, the American entrepreneur Joy Mangano. and the movie is a worthy attempt to show how women can be empowered and inventive if they pursue their dreams with passion and support.
Perhaps any film about the design of a mop - even a so-called Miracle Mop that sold in huge numbers on the television channel QVC - was going to struggle to seize the emotions (after all, we are not talking about "The Social Network" and the creation of Facebook here). But the work suffers from an odd structure - there are early flashbacks and the voice-over is from someone who dies - and a weak script. So, really not much joy at all.