Joy: Movie Review

As a narrative, “Joy” felt off at times. It had its glimpses and fair share of weirdness that just shook us out of our appreciation of its story. While not perfect, the end result is still inspiring to say the least.

Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) is a mother and an ordinary citizen trying to make both ends meet especially for her family. When she invents the Miracle Mop, she not only lifted a heavy burden off from millions of housewives across the globe, but it also changed her life in unexpected ways as she experiences betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love but ultimately leads to uninhibited happiness.

If we could point out one thing that makes "Joy" a worthwhile film to watch it is probably Jennifer Lawrence. She still finds ways to marvel us with her talent and she is literally a bundle of joy to see on the big screen. What hampers "Joy" is not its acting but more on how its flow of thought never goes through smoothly. We found ourselves jolted awake with scenes of quirkiness. To note, the soap opera segments feels like they need to be significant in a metaphorical way but we could never catch their points. Additionally, the support cast was frustrating as the film struggles to even out each one's importance in Joy's success. "Joy" has a stellar performance from its lead but not much else. You could still be inspired by the film but there are others that could give the same feeling but in a much better way.

Rating: 3 reels

Why you should watch it:
- Jennifer Lawrence gives a stellar performance

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story is frustrating with lots of quirkiness
- the supporting cast is not solid enough