Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Isabella Rossellini, Edgar Ramirez, Virginia Madsen, Bradley Cooper
Director: David O. Russell
Genre: Comedy, drama
Duration: 124 minutes
Now showing: Cinema Magic Metroplex Mall Naalya and Century Cinemax Acacia Mall Kisementi
Joy is loosely based on Joy Mangano, the woman who came up with the self-wringing mop among other inventions. Loosely, meaning that while Jennifer Lawrence’s titular character is called Joy Mangano, and she does invent the mop in the movie, several other characters and events were added to the plot. This should be a relief for anyone who was thinking of dismissing the movie because it may seem dull.
Dull is the last word you would use to describe this movie. The movie follows Joy, a divorced mother of two, whose ex still lives in her house, along with her grandmother, and father. While she has a job with an airline, her finances are stretched, with good reason. In her free time, she loves to invent things and hopes one of her inventions will amount to something one day, despite her father and sister’s discouragement.
One day an accident with broken glass gives her the idea of a self-wringing mop, leading to a series of events that will make you laugh, feel sad, want to wring someone’s neck and all the other things a god movie can make you want to do.
Joy is a good movie, mainly because of its cast. Lawrence’s performance goes without saying. Her roles in American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook and The Hunger Games movies prove that she is a chameleon. It is no different with Joy. De Niro as her father, Rudy, will make you laugh, hate him yet love him. The movie is also fast-paced in that it feels like something is happening every second, which bodes well for a non-action movie – it is unlikely that you would get time to feel bored.
However, amid all the talking, and there is a lot of it, it feels like some issues do not get to get as deep as they promise to be. This may explain why some people have criticised the movie for not living up to its promise.
