No Joy to Be Had

Rating: 2/10 (28 September 2016)

An example of what happens when absolutely nothing about a film works.
David O. Russell is the inexplicable director/writer of this dreadful movie, which aside from the cast of usual suspects that have appeared recently in his films, bears no resemblance to the Russell films ("I Heart Huckabees," "Three Kings," "The Fighter," "American Hustle") that have turned out to be some of the best of the last decade or so. Russell muse Jennifer Lawrence plays the titular character, a screen version of Joy Mangano, who as portrayed in this film is a struggling working-class mom and daughter whose invention of a self-wringing mop launches a successful career as an inventor of household products despite a despicable family who treat her like dirt and various business colleagues who try to take advantage of her. I think Russell is so enamored of Lawrence that he's lost the ability to direct her objectively. She shows not an ounce of the charisma and screen presence I know she has, because I've seen it in other films, even in other Russell films. The whole thing is an exercise in frustration for its audience, as we're forced to watch the main character be treated like a doormat by a collection of grotesque cartoon characters, and then receive only the barest pay off in the film's final moments when we're told, not actually shown, how well things eventually turn out for her. Robert De Niro, Isabella Rossellini, Virginia Madsen, Diane Ladd and others play Joy's family members, and they're all terrible, both as characters and as actors. The film can't decide on a tone, so bizarre, zany comedic moments are crammed up against dramatic ones we're supposed to be taking seriously. The whole thing feels interminable and made me quite grumpy, the exact opposite reaction I presume a film called "Joy" is supposed to have on me.
Lawrence received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, apparently for just turning up on set.
Grade: F