JOY – The Review

So, you consider yourself a very talented film maker, a very creative director with major skills? Okay, are you up for a test of your talents? Well, can you make an entertaining film out of any subject? Hmm, no prob, you say? Alright, how about a feature-length movie about a household cleaning device? A mop, that floor maintenance essential. Not just any mop, but the “Miracle Mop”. The mop’s essential to the tale, but the real focus is its origin story (that superhero trope). And the person who came up with this special tool. This was the test one of our quirkiest directors has set up for himself. Only a couple of years after the 70’s set, “abscam”-inspired AMERICAN HUSTLE, David O Russell has gathered many of the same actors (he seems to be assembling a modern repertory company) to tell the true-life fable of the woman who transformed that sloppy pantry staple. It’s the story of a woman named JOY.

Mimi (Diane Ladd), the adoring grandmother of the film’s title character narrates. We see her with preteen Joy and her step sister Peggy immersed in late 70’s TV soap operas, watching quietly along with Joy’s mother Terry (Virginia Madsen). Away from the tube Joy constructs fantasy doll dioramas as Peggy looks on with dead-eyed annoyance. Then the girls are rocked when pappa Rudy (Robert DeNiro) divorces Terry. Cut to the late 1980’s as the now nearly thirty-something Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) must deal with a load of adult problems. And I mean a mountain-sized load. She’s holding down a grueling job, taking lots of verbal abuse behind an airline counter. The long hours are warranted as the divorced mother of three is trying to keep their modest, rented Long Island home. A home that she and the kids share with Mimi. And Terry, who never leaves her bedroom as she runs TV soaps on a myriad of VHS tapes. Oh, and living in the basement is Joy’s ex-husband, aspiring singer Tony (Edgar Ramirez).  And now Rudy’s latest marriage is kaput, so he must share the basement with his former son-in-law. But Rudy’s soon back on the dating scene with pre-internet dating services (classifieds and 900 numbers). Through them he begins seeing wealthy widow Trudy (Isabella Rossellini). An accident (wine spillage on the deck) on a family outing on Trudy’s boat gives Joy an idea. The still inventive lady draws up a design for a self-wringing mop. She works up a prototype, but can’t raise any interest from the retail chains or the local hardware shops. Joy then hears of the new TV fad, cable channels devoted solely to selling items directly to consumers. She travels to the headquarters of QVC (Quality Value Channel) and convinces an ambitious exec, Neil Walker (Bradley Cooper) to give her a shot. But when one of the on-camera hosts bungles the mop segment, Joy doesn’t quit. She insists Neil give her invention another try, but this time she will demonstrate it live on the air. She’s a sensation, and the phone lines are jammed with orders. Her success is not the happy ending she hoped to get as family infighting, patent lawyers, and sleazy parts suppliers scuttle the “Miracle Mop” rocket just as it leaves the launch pad. Has Joy gotten in over her head?

Showcasing her astounding versatility, Lawrence gives us a character quite different from her franchise roles in X-Men and the recently concluded Hunger Games series (in addition to her Oscar-winning part in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK). She projects dogged determination, intelligence, and vulnerability as the single mom vowing not to back down and settle for scraps. Even as forces conspire and plot against her, Lawrence shows us, in her eyes and body language, a woman resisting the urge to fold, to give in and give up. The supporting cast is more than up to her formidable skills. DeNiro is both endearing and aggravating as the gruff and gregarious Rudy as he turns on the charm for Trudy and tosses up roadblocks to Joy’s plans. He’s not relying on familiar acting tricks, instead giving a fresh spin on an untraditional patriarch. The marketing may be a tad misleading by suggesting that this new film is another romance with Cooper, as with PLAYBOOK. Instead he’s really part mentor and wizard to Joy as he introduces her to a new world (that of TV commerce). As she gains her confidence, we do see a twinkle in his eyes, perhaps pride, maybe attraction, but those film goers hoping for a last act clinch will be left wanting. Madsen also goes against type as a timid, sheltered soul who finally begins to rejoin the world, even turning off her soaps and leaving her bedroom. Ladd is warm and nurturing as the grandmother of everyone’s dreams. The biggest surprise may be Rossellini who is ferocious as an exotic pit bull zealously guarding her fortune. She’s charmed by Rudy, but not enough to give her daughter the keys to her kingdom. Elizabeth Rohm is terrific as the grown-up Peggy, partner and sneaky, jealous saboteur. Plus, in a delightful cameo, Melissa Rivers pays tribute to her beloved mother with her performance as QVC’s most popular celebrity saleswoman.

As with Lawrence, this project is a change for the usual hard-edged Russell. His penchant for coarse language is severely toned down, which accounts for the more family friendly PG-13 rating. There’s only one “f-bomb” (tossed off by DeNiro, of course). I did have some concern for the film’s first act that seems to play to the “wacky” exploits of another dysfunctional family. But I don’t think Russell’s losing his edge, as this story is a great tale of empowerment, especially for young woman. Hopefully all audiences will be inspired as Joy knocks down all the walls formed by the chants of “no, you can’t”. You can say it’s “Russell lite”, but the script he co-wrote with Annie (BRIDESMAIDS) Mumolo still packs an emotional wallop (and some real suspense as Joy confronts those who would cheat her). The period sets, fashions, and hairstyles are right on the mark, particularly in the use of actual TV soap stars in fantasy sequences that have them speaking to the real Long Island folks. The film’s strongest asset may be the collaboration of star and director (this is their third film in a row), harkening back to Josef von Sternberg/ Marlene Dietrich and William Wyler/Bette Davis (the only other such team today may be Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy, who just finished their fourth flick). When Russell and Lawrence join forces, the creative sparks really fly. These two talents really make this true story, a true JOY.

4 Out of 5