Joy

“Joy” is loosely based on the life of Joy Mangano, the woman who invented the Miracle Mop.

“Joy” opens with scenes from a cheesy soap opera, that Joy’s mother (Virginia Madsen), is constantly watching. Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) is a divorced mother of two and the father of her children (Édgar Ramírez) lives in the basement. After a recent divorce, Joy’s father (Robert De Niro) is forced to move back in with Joy. We flash back to Joy’s childhood as narrated by her grandmother (Diane Ladd).

Young Joy is a creative girl who dreams of success inventing things that the world will love. However, her current station in life doesn’t resemble her once grand dream. Until a chance spill on a boat inspires her to invent “the last mop you’ll ever buy!”

Jennifer Lawrence is overwhelmingly compelling as a struggling mom trying to make a name for herself. Her accent isn’t consistent, but, overall, she is great. Her supporting cast members do an amazing job of keeping the story interesting and adding humor. The plot is a simple one, but directing make you care root for Joy, as her lack of business know how leads to many ups and downs.

There is some foul language and blasphemous use of God’s name. Ruthless behavior in the business world is also portrayed.

While her faith is never discussed in the film. We as Christians can relate to trials and tribulations that are part of our Christian walk. When faced with things like betrayal, anger, defeat and financial woes, we must place our burdens on Christ, and He will carry them. Although it can be difficult trusting every aspect of our life to Christ, it is the only way we can get through those hardships.

As for a recommendation, I enjoyed the film, and if you are interested in her story I would go see it, but be aware of language and other themes.

Violence: Mild / Profanity: Moderate to heavy—Oh G*d (1), OMG (5+), God (3), d*mn (2), f-word (1) / Sex/Nudity: Minor

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