'Joy' Review: Jennifer Lawrence Wrings What She Can from a Shambling Biopic https://t.co/g9x7WEuYFjpic.twitter.com/XzcchHfrQn
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) December 7, 2015Despite mostly positive twitter chatter following its first screening (see my previous post), Joy is getting panned by reviewers. Jennifer Lawrence is emerging unscathed as critics unanimously praise her acting as one of the few good things about the movie, but David O. Russell's writing and directing are being savaged.
- the wrap: "It’s only Lawrence’s massive charisma and empathy that makes this fictionalized version of Mangano seem real and relatable. This is a rare misstep for Russell […] Unlike his indefatigable heroine, however, Russell just can’t seem to close the deal on Joy."
- variety: "Despite another solid performance from Jennifer Lawrence […] it’s hard not to wish “Joy” were better — that its various winsome parts added up to more than a flyweight product that still feels stuck in the development stage."
- indiewire: "If the title "American Hustle" weren't already applied to another David O. Russell movie, it could easily work for "Joy," which plays like the less memorable B-side to that earlier effort. […] Lawrence provides a better glue for holding these scenes together than Russell's rambling screenplay."
- pajiba[the BEST review]: "As he’s best known for movies with male protagonists—like The Fighter, Three Kings and Silver Linings Playbook—I was curious to see how Russell would handle a female-focused story with themes of friendship, sisterhood, motherhood, and gender politics. The short answer is: like an asshole." [seriously go read the entire thing]
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