Joy (2015)

"Joy" stars Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Edgar Ramirez. Released on December 25, 2015, the film is about a young woman who faces many obstacles while building her own business empire.

The film is directed by David O. Russell, who also directed films such as The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. It is loosely based on Joy Mangano, a divorced mother who invented the Miracle Mop in the early 1990s and became an overnight success. The last film I've seen from director David O. Russell was Silver Linings Playbook back in 2012, which I thought was pretty good in my opinion. This recent film reunites Russell with Lawrence, De Niro, and Cooper after their success with Silver Linings, but is it enough to capture the essence of Joy Mangano?

Pros:
Some very good performances, including Lawrence as Joy and De Niro as Rudy.

Nice cinematography.

Good screenplay.

Cons:
Some slow pacing.

Not enough depth in the emotions and the characters.

The direction was OK.
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Final thoughts: There are a lot of films where you can't judge them based on the titles alone. "Joy" is one of them. This film isn't full of sunshine, rainbows, or cute little puppies (or if you want to be nonsensical, a spin-off to Inside Out), but it is an average biopic of the woman who rose to fame thanks to the Miracle Mop. It's not as great as I wanted it to be, but it's suitable for what it's supposed to be. If you're a fan of Russell's filmography, you might like this film.

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C+