One thing can
certainly be said about a David O. Russell film: he gets great performances out
of his actors. Jennifer Lawrence is
already great and has been for a majority of her career. Combine her talent
with that directing talent and you get a great lead performance and most importantly a
spectacular character to lean on. But beyond that there isn’t a weak link among
the performances. Bradley Cooper is his same charismatic self as businessman Neil
Walker, delivering the right amount of charm without overdoing it. Robert De Niro, long thought to be going through the motions in recent films, gives a
second great performance under David O. Russell’s direction. He plays Joy’s father,
Rudy, and gives the film quite a bit of humor along the way.
On the story side
of things, Joy doesn’t offer anything truly new or anything that stands out.
It’s a rather bland rags-to-riches story and in a way it works but other parts
move rather slow or don’t work quite as well. The most interesting parts of the
film revolve around the creative process and produce quite a few comedic
moments. The family elements are well balanced with the business end of things,
but something about seeing Joy lead meetings or start arguments with
adversaries just makes the film work better.

So what did you think of Joy? Have you seen it and how does it compare to other two films mentioned? Share and comment below and as always return to I Am Sam for weekly reviews.
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