Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Joy
2015
****
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Bradley Cooper, Dascha Polanco, Elisabeth Röhm

Joy runs a household that includes her two young children, her grandmother, her mentally fragile mother, her jobless ex-husband, and now also her homeless father. No wonder she struggles to make ends meet. Joy invents a self-wringing mop and hopes that it can change her fortune. David O. Russell's moving and entertaining celebration of the American Dream is loosely based on the life of Joy Mangano, who launched the Miracle Mop in 1990. Russell fills this story of inspiration and perseverance with the same insane energy he employed in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. The characters are unusual and the ensemble cast do a wonderful job in portraying them. Jennifer Lawrence's lead performance as Joy offers a perfect mix of guts and vulnerability.