Writer-director David O. Russell (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) has garnered three Best Director and Best Picture nominations within four years. But this story of female entrepreneurship, reuniting Russell's favorite ensemble players—Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro—simply misses the mark. From childhood, Joy Mangano (Oscar-nominee Lawrence) has been an inventor. Living with her musician ex-husband (Edgar Ramirez) and their children, she's a single mother trying to support her dysfunctional, extended family, including her soap-opera-obsessed mother (Virginia Madsen), cantankerous father (De Niro), resentful half-sister (Elisabeth Rohm), and beloved grandmother (Diane Ladd). While cleaning up spilled red wine, Joy has the idea for the self-wringing Miracle Mop: a simple device incorporating a plastic handle and a head made from a continuous loop of 300 feet of cotton. Determined to manufacture it, she convinces her father's wealthy new lover (Isabella Rossellini) to be her financial backer, eventually taking a prototype to TV's QVC, where she must convince a corporate executive (Cooper) to take a chance on her product. Scripted as a biopic, the story is awkwardly told and unevenly paced, while Lawrence seems to barely relate to the real-life Mangano as she tenaciously grapples with one obstacle after another in her determination to achieve the American Dream. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Joy, Strength and Perseverance” production featurette (21 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Times Talk” segment with star Jennifer Lawrence and director David O. Russell by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd (68 min.), and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film from talented filmmaker Russell.] (S. Granger)
Joy
Fox, 124 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, <span class=SpellE>Blu</span>-ray: $39.99, May 3 Volume 31, Issue 3
Joy
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