Joy

Dir: David O. Russell

2015

****

While Jennifer Lawrence received deserved praise for her role as Joy Mangano in this semi-biographical drama, David O. Russell's direction received a mixed response. Personally, I think it is one of his greatest achievements yet. If you don't like the quirks of Joy, then I'm not sure you like the real David O. Russell and I'm not sure we've seen the real Mr. O. Russell since 2004's I ♥ Huckabees. Joy Mangano's story could have been told in many various ways but essentially, her success and the way she achieved it is the typical formula to every feel-good film about success, fortune and overcoming adversity. David O. Russell sticks to this formula but makes it something new, something totally different from the norm even though it is something we have seen many times before. He doesn't embellish as such but he does highlight certain issues to the point where the film can't be considered 100% factual. However, the important bits are there, certain fictional characters are created to highlight certain social constraints and challenges Joy faced in real life but this emphasises what the film is really about. It's not really about someone who can do something, it is always clear that Joy is capable, it is about the idea, or the belief I should say, that certain people can't and will never be able to do certain things, which is of course ridiculous. Indeed, the film often feels a little bit ridiculous but then such is life, which is exactly what David O. Russell is so good at exploring. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect in the title role, I'm now convinced she could play any part brilliantly and make it look effortless. Pairing Robert De Niro and Isabella Rossellini as lovers was a genius move and I don't think Rossellini has given a better performance in years. It's great to see Edgar Ramirez in mainstream cinema for a change and the wonderful Diane Ladd really glues the story together as was intended and as she always does. Virginia Madsen's performance was something of a change in direction but a very welcome one, hopefully she'll get some meatier roles off the back of it, I believe she's been underappreciated for far too long. Bradley Cooper is good, I like him a lot and he was given some of the film's best lines but his character has a little too much screen time considering it is a fictional character and it felt like it was a role written especially for him by a friend, which is exactly what it was. I think one of my personal favourite performances was from Melissa Rivers who played her own late mother Joan Rivers who was a regular on QVC at the same time as Joy Mangano. The pace of the film was criticised more than anything but I couldn't disagree with that sentiment more, I thought the overall structure of Joy was refreshingly original, without gimmick but ordered into intelligent chapters. Joy may well be 2015's most overlooked film with huge 'future classic' potential.