A Rather Small but Good Movie

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2016)

Joy (2015)
*** (out of 4)
David O. Russell's latest tells the true story of a woman named Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), a single mother of two who is overwhelmed with the various obstacles in her light but she manages to create what will become known as the Miracle Mop. This film shows the struggle that the young woman had to go through to see her vision come true.
The best thing you can do entering this movie is not to expect anything like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK or American HUSTLE. I think JOY is a pretty standard movie and I must admit that I was wondering why so many talented people would be involved in a story that would probably be better on television. I mean, the first thirty minutes I kept wondering what it was in this story that made the director and cast want to invest their time in the making of it but as the film went on it got much, much better and much warner to where you can see the heart that I'm sure attracted everyone.
Again, JOY isn't a masterpiece, a great film or anything close to the previous movies from the director but if you stick with it I think it's a fun but small movie. The best thing the film has going for it is the fact that it tells a simple story about a simple woman who was capable of something big no matter how much of a beating she took. There's a certain heart captured in the film to where you can't help but root and cheer for this woman and feel downright heartbroken for her whenever things don't go her way. JOY really takes off once the creative side of the character begins and especially a scene where she has to go on live television to try and sell the mop.
Lawrence, as no surprise, gives a very good performance as once again she's asked to show off a wide range of emotions and she perfectly captures all of them. She's certainly believable in the role and especially the single mother aspect and how she pretty much has to be the one constantly holding everything together. Bradley Cooper only appears in a few scenes but he's also very good as is Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd and Robert DeNiro in his role as the father. It was great getting to see Isabella Rossellini back in action as well as Virginia Madsen.
As I said, JOY isn't any grand material and it really does seem like something that should have been on Lifetime. I'm not saying the film is bad but I think people have just come to expect more of Russell but I think that might be a tad bit unfair. This is a rather small movie so I can see why the director might just want to take a step back and try something different. JOY is certainly worth watching.