Fox 2000 Pictures, TSG Entertainment, Annapurna Pictures,
Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Édgar Ramírez , Elisabeth Röhm, Dascha Polanco, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen
Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) is loosely based on the true story of Joy Mangano, a successful early TV marketer who built an empire on her own inventions. Joy is struggling with a broken family and trying to survive with all the crazy occupants of her house, when she determines to set out to make and sell the self wringing mop that she invented. Borrowing money from her father’s new beau, and he ex husband and even taking a 2nd mortgage on her house she sets out to pull off this miracle, but wading her way through the rough storm of the ruthless business world is about to take her down.
This is a loose biographical film based on the real Joy Mangano, but of course a lot of poetic license has been taken. Jennifer delivers a really stunning performance as the harried mom trying to make the best out of all the trouble, and Bradley Cooper is pretty decent as an executive at QVC who gives her a chance or two. Robert DeNiro offers some support as well as her father, giving advice right and left, but not being very coherent most of the time. All in all it’s a comedy of errors, and though it’s not a truly wonderful film, due to the weakness (I think) in the script itself, these actors did the best the could with a kind of flawed script, I think. Still, I did find it entertaining, and did not hate it like so many did. I didn’t find it boring, and to be honest, Jennifer Lawrence, I though, really nailed the role. She is really getting good these days. I found it pulling me into the story and enjoying the stages poor Joy had to go through to get tough enough to survive in this harsh environment we know as business. I recommend this film, and thought it wasn’t a bad film at all.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
