From the director of The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook & American Hustle, Joy advertises itself to be a biographical comedy-drama but isn't faithful enough to qualify as a biography, has nothing but disappointment in store if what you are looking for is a compelling drama & forgets midway that it's supposed to be a comedy as well.
Joy tells the story of its titular character, a divorced mother of three children who attempts to overcome the overwhelming obstacles in her personal & professional life by bringing her invention into the commercial market, which becomes an overnight success and marks the first step in her rise from a nobody to the founder & matriarch of a powerful business dynasty.
Written & directed by David O. Russell, the first act of Joy has no trouble at all in getting on your nerves for Russell goes horribly smug about his ability to create interesting characters and overburdens the plot with way too many irrelevant people, who never for once allow its titular character to breathe comfortably, plus their contribution amounts to pretty much nothing in the end.
Russell tries too hard in the beginning because of which the supporting cast he introduces us to turn end up being annoying much earlier than expected, thus leaving the responsibility of taking the story past the finish line on its leading lady. Editing also is an issue for the story meanders on moments that are tiresome, Cinematography adds nothing to the experience, and even the soundtrack isn't effective.
Coming to the performances, Joy features quite an ensemble in Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Bradley Cooper & others, amongst whom only Lawrence is able to deliver the goods. The supporting cast is anything but supportive, mostly due to the lack of characterisation in Russell's script, and while Lawrence tries to do whatever she can, she doesn't have enough material to work with.
On an overall scale, Joy could've been a highly fascinating biopic for there are tiny glimpses of a hidden gem in its content but instead, it turns out to be an absolute mess that manages to stay afloat only due to Lawrence's commitment. The first act is annoying, the middle part is its only saviour while the third act arrives too abruptly & ends everything a tad too quickly. Definitely the most underwhelming of all Russell-Lawrence collaborations, sitting through Joy was a joyless experience.
