somewhat bumpy road to success

Rating: 6/10 (28 July 2016)

Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) was the high school valedictorian but stayed home to care for her divorcing parents (Robert De Niro, Virginia Madsen). She finds herself stuck in life. Her ex-husband Tony Miranne (Édgar Ramírez) is living in the basement. Her mother watches soaps all day. Her house is falling apart. Her father is forced to live with her. He's closer to her older half-sister Peggy (Elisabeth Röhm). She has always invented but her family is not supportive. She comes up with a new mop. With money from her father's girlfriend Trudy (Isabella Rossellini) and help from everyone including best friend Jackie (Dascha Polanco), Joy struggles to navigate the business world. Tony gets her an interview with Neil Walker (Bradley Cooper), an executive at the new TV station QVC.
This is a family where everybody talks but nobody listens. Directer David O. Russell wants to make them funny but I find them mostly annoying. It's a bumpy road where the quirky humor doesn't work and the drama seems very standard. There is an interesting dramatic story here but it's only the last act where it gets compelling. Russell overwhelms a good dramatic scene when her family forces her to go bankrupt with some badly overwrought writing. Then it goes into one of the best confrontation in the movie. This is a mostly flat movie that is highlighted by good work from Lawrence and a few good scenes.