Joy

"You are in a room, and there is a gun on the table. The only other person in the room is an adversary in Congress: only one of you can prevail. Do you pick up the gun, Joy?"

"I pick up the gun."

Helmed by the same cast as the hit “American Hustle” and the previously reviewed “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Joy” follows Joy, a doesn’t-take-no-for-an-answer woman, as she faces the hardships while struggling in creating her own business dynasty.

Did I mention how talented the cast was in the previously critiqued “Silver Linings Playbook?” No? Well, Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) deserves all the praise she can get.

Sympathetic yet powerful, reserved yet loud: Lawrence perfectly captures the character of Joy. Even in its weakest moments, she is always there for the audience to cheer for; she is a truly amazing actor.

Speaking of “its weakest moments,” Lawrence’s performance isn’t the only thing to cling on to: David O. Russell’s screenplay is very entertaining. Simultaneously quotable, quirky, and intelligent, the dialogue is endlessly likable. Also, about it being overly quotable is no joke; I had quite the tough time choosing the standard quote for this article.

What do “Joy’s” supposed “weakest moments” consist of? Well, unfortunately, they are the prime suspects of what brings the film’s heavenly aspects back down to Earth.

Alas, “Joy” is more of a compilation of good ideas and talent behind a much flimsier visage. The film starts out innocently enough, but as it goes on, it just becomes more and more strangely put together. It does straighten out a bit close to the end, but before it can go out on such a high note we get an oddly placed, weirdly-put flash to the future; it really does confuse me how David O. Russell wanted to exactly construct “Joy.”

6/10- Though “Joy” prominently features an ensemble cast and an endlessly quotable script, its core idea is mostly presented only as a bulletin board for great ideas, rather than a consistent film.