Joy

When deciding the first film of a new year to watch, not many people spend too much time on it.  It's only a film, right?

For me, it is the bar against which to compare the rest of the year.

I try and make an educated decision to see the best on offer, and in January you often find some Oscar-worthy beauties.

Last year, Birdman blew me away.  The year before that her truly surprised me.  There was added pressure on myself to pick correctly.  With what was on offer in the first week of 2016, I thought I made a smart choice with the latest David O Russell/Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper/Robert de Niro film.

No, not Silver Linings Playbook.

No, not American Hustle.

No, not Joy.

Wait, scratch that last one.

PLOT

Slightly based on real events, Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) is a divorced mother-of-two, living with her mother and grandmother, and her ex-husband lives in her basement.

Having been very creative as a child, she decides to use that creativity to try and make a better life for herself.  Designing a self-wringing mop, Joy utilises the new concept of home-shopping television channel QVC to try and get the life she deserves.

OPINION

It probably wouldn't be fair to say that Joy bored the ever-living hell out of me, but it wouldn't be too far off.  Granted, I could watch Jennifer Lawrence all day (in a non-creepy way) and she is by far the best aspect of the film.  But like Legend showed last year, a fantastic central performance cannot carry an overall flawed film.

The film flits between different tones and dramatic styles, from kitchen-sink realism to surreal fantasy, back to manic farce, and you don't know what to think.  Should I be laughing?  Should I be crying?  Should I leave the cinema?  And this is all in the first hour before Bradley Cooper has even shown his handsome, handsome face.

With taking so long to get going, by the time Joy starts trying to fix her mundane life, I had so little interest in her character or the horribly selfish people that fester her existence.  The only enjoyable character is Joy's grandmother and she hardly gets any screen time at all!

Whilst rightfully getting attention due to Ms Lawrence acting the hell out of her role, Joy doesn't live up to other expectations.  Similar to the QVC channel on which Joy stars, it looks bright, shiny and well-crafted, but ultimately it is off-putting, extortionate and leaves you feeling rather empty.

Rating - 3/10

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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