Joy

Joy is a weird movie. I didn't really get it. Jennifer Lawrence plays the title character, an unlikely inventor who turns her life around through hard work and tenacity. I get the feeling this movie was meant as a love letter to some super, sassy lady in David O. Russell's life. I just never quite understood what it was trying to be.

Early in the film there was a real sense of hyper-reality. Joy's family is so bizarre it reminded me of that crazy house from the Willy Wonka movie. But as the story unfolds, that style gets abandoned and I think the movie loses something as it turns into more of a straight forward biopic.

What I did enjoy was a feminist take on a biopic. The men are rather infantilized and even the good ones need Joy's help to get it right. She is an everyday hero, instead of a traditional kind of soldier, first responder or public figure.  However, I did find it unfortunate that a feminist, everywoman biopic ended up being a little bit boring.

I didn't even find Jennifer Lawrence to be particularly stunning in this role. I like her, so I'm happy for her, don't get me wrong. But I'm guessing one of the other performances will delight me even more.