(USA, 124 min.)
Dir. David O. Russell, Writ. David O. Russell. Annie Mumolo
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper,
Isabella Rossellini, Virginia Madsen, Diane Ladd, Edgar Ramirez, Elisabeth Rohm
Joy reminds me of
another movie. Not a David O. Russell movie, though. (At times, it seems like a
parody of one.) Rather, Joy calls to
mind an oft-maligned movie of 2005 that’s actually a lot better than people
say. That film is Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown.
Elizabethtown, like Joy, is a film that one shouldn’t
necessarily begrudge another moviegoer for disliking: it’s rocky, wildly
uneven, and the first thirty minutes are terrible enough to inspire a walkout.
But if one survives Elizabethtown’s
atrocious opening number, one finds that the film’s actually decently
watchable. Ditto Joy, which grates on
the nerves with a get-me-the-hell-outta-here
first act, but then settles down for a watch that’s pleasant and rewarding
enough to merit a recommendation tied with a warning.