Review: ‘Joy’ has great performances, a mostly interesting story, but little actual joy

Posted on January 1, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

Some directors and actors are well known for working together. You have Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson, Wes Anderson and pretty much everybody he’s ever worked with, since they always seem to come back for his next movie.

One of the most successful combinations of late has been director David O. Russell and actors Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. The trio worked together in 2012’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and 2013’s “American Hustle,” and each time all three were nominated for Academy Awards, as well as the movies themselves.

“Joy” is very loosely based on the true story of Joy Mangano, who rose from obscurity to become the matriarch of a business empire after inventing the Miracle Mop. The script, also written by Russell, manages to turn the tale into something unique and strangely compelling, but it does seem to overstay its welcome a bit, especially in the third act. While everyone involved, including Robert De Niro (“The Intern”), another repeat Russell collaborator, does excellent work in their roles, the film really suffers from a lack of likeable characters and a scarcity of actual joy.

Now I’m one who usually doesn’t mind slow films, but even I found myself wondering a couple of times exactly when the story was going to wrap up, so I know there are quite a few people out there who are going to find “Joy” quite slow indeed.

The film could have been trimmed a bit, especially in the third act, which seems to meander more than anything, but the eventual destination the story arrives at in the end makes up for most of my issues. That and, of course, the excellent performances, headlined by Lawrence, who will almost surely receive another Oscar nomination.

“Joy” is not without problems to be sure, but if you don’t mind a slow-paced film and enjoy great acting, there is enough spice in the journey to make it worth the trip, especially when the destination is one of the film’s best parts.

The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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