See it at the Movies

JOY

By Joyce and Don Fowler
Posted 1/8/16

* * ½

(Another

dysfunctional family)

How do you make a movie based on true events about a woman who invents a mop interesting?

You throw in a bunch of unorthodox characters in a …

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See it at the Movies

JOY

Posted

* * ½

(Another

dysfunctional family)

How do you make a movie based on true events about a woman who invents a mop interesting?

You throw in a bunch of unorthodox characters in a dysfunctional family and hope for the best. Unfortunately, “Joy” doesn’t have much joy to it, as the antics of the extended family soon run thin.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Joy, an ambitious, hard-working young woman who, in spite of her bad choices in marriage, her mother’s putdowns and the odds stacked against her, fights for her rights and dignity. Joy invents a revolutionary mop, and in spite of her lack of business skills and bad advice from family members, manages to sell it on a home-shopping TV network.

Things don’t come easy, and just when you expect the movie to end on a joyous note things get complicated and the two-hour movie goes on way too long.

Joy’s grandmother (Diane Ladd) narrates the story, made complicated by too many flashbacks. Bradley Cooper adds a nice touch as the TV guy who helps Joy on the road to success. Robert DeNiro plays Joy’s father, divorced from her mother (Virginia Madsen), but still living in their basement with Joy’s ex-husband, who is still her good friend. Isabella Rossellini plays DeNiro’s new girlfriend. They all help with the mop production, and they all get in the way while bickering throughout the entire movie. What a waste of good talent.

Rated PG-13, with some profanity.

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