Joy

I've had Joy on my schedule ever since its Christmas Day release. Or, I would have if I wasn't lazily putting it off every time I intended to see it. But I can't ignore it any longer. So here I go...

[After the movie ends...]

Why did I put this off?

Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) is Joy Mangano, though her full name is never said. Her ex-husband, Tony (Edgar Ramirez), lives in her basement. Her mother, Terri (Virgina Madsen), lives on her bed watching soap operas. Her father, Rudy (Robert DeNiro), is an obnoxiously blunt mechanic who's now romancing a rich widow. Her half-sister, Peggy, hates her guts. Only her grandmother, Mimi (Diane Ladd), her two kids, and her best friend Jackie, give her sanity.

Joy also has a gift for inventing. One day, she draws up the Miracle Mop with crayons. The aforementioned rich widow, Trudy (Isabella Rossellini), is her primary investor. Joy needs someone to sell her new invention. That's where Neil Walker (Bradley Cooper) and QVC come in.

Director David O. Russell opens the film as a quirky dysfunctional family comedy. This is established right away with scenes set in Terri's favorite soap opera, the main character of which is named Danica (Susan Lucci). The soap opera plays up the absurdity of its medium to a T. And even Joy herself has quirky nightmares in that world. But then the drama comes front in center. You'll miss the quirkiness when it's gone.

Jennifer Lawrence, as Joy, makes the film worth it. She's a strong-willed woman held back by the world. But she'll find a way to light her darkest moments. She knows what she's doing unlike the first QVC spokesman for her Miracle Mop. Her first time on QVC gives her convincing stage fright, but a good phone call gives her a boost. She is as real as her main source of inspiration.

The supporting cast also helps. There are several characters (Rudy, Peggy, Joy's manufacturers) that you'll come to hate right away. And some you'll get to love (Tony, Neil). The actors really sell you on their characters' personalities. Among the cameos, Melissa Rivers stands out as her mother, Joan. She gets the latter's accent down perfectly.

Production designer Judy Becker wonderfully recreates both suburbia and QVC headquarters. The latter, with its rotating set and all-white kitchen, makes it a unique place to work. One highlight is a local musical that Tony gets Joy to star in. The sets, along with Linus Sandgren's cinematography, turns the moment from their stage characters falling in love to them falling in love. It's just a fine moment. The four editors (one of whom is reigning Oscar champ Tom Cross) create a cohesive project that gets you in the right moods.

Joy itself says that it's "inspired by true stories of powerful women and one in particular." It may not be Mangano's true story, but it is a compelling story of a woman who stood her ground and won. You'll be rooting for her every step of the way.