This was not a joy at all................

Rating: 6/10 (31 December 2015)

For starters, yes I am very much a fan of Jennifer Lawrence. In fact, I consider her one of the best actresses of today. I have seen all her movies to date, and each time she impresses me. Whether its being a fearless heroine in The Hunger Games movies, her very underrated role in Winter's Bone, or being the free-spirited Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence's acting ability is very admirable in today's cinema.
Joy Mangano lives a very fast-paced life. Between being a mother, whose ex-husband still lives at Joy's residence along with Joy's kids, mom, grandmother, and father, Joy can never seem to catch a break. Unbeknownst to Joy's relatives at first, Joy in fact has an idea; a creation that Joy has crafted all on her own.
Not surprisingly, Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Joy Mangano is excellent throughout the movie. She brings the same ferocity in her portrayal here as she does in every role, and she delivers her lines really well. Robert DeNiro stars as Joy's father Rudy, and does a nice job; though I do wish he had longer screen time. Bradley Cooper also plays the straightforward character Neil Walker.
David O. Russell has collaborated with the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert DeNiro numerous times, and though they all do well in Joy, I hate that the movie has faults.
Joy's pacing is not always where it should be, and some scenes feel rather rushed. Some characters feel more necessary than others, while certain characters just feel out of place. Make no mistake, Joy is the character you are gonna root for, and her daughter is adorable, but I kept feeling that: 1. Robert DeNiro's talents feel wasted here, as opposed to his role in Silver Linings Playbook 2. Jennifer Lawrence does a fantastic job as always, but the story doesn't always allow her to display her full range.
I feel that the story stumbles between the first and second act, but Joy does have a rather enjoyable third act. And overall, Joy also does particularly well as a movie when the humor is on display. The movie has a nice message to back it up and it is shot exceptionally well. Joy is no classic for David O. Russell or Jennifer Lawrence, but it still does a decent job of bringing Joy Mangano to life on- screen(thanks in large part to Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal).
To close, I do feel Joy is a one time movie. See it once, and you'll either like it or dislike it. Hopefully, Jennifer Lawrence's 2016 movie Passengers with Chris Pratt is more memorable. Happy Holidays.