David O’ Russell seems to have his quartet in order as Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper once again headline his latest, more toned down, Joy. A film which follows the rise of Joy Mangano (Lawrence) as she creates a dynasty revolving around her self-invented Miracle Mop. Along the way she goes through countless scum-bags, QVC, and even her own family. Joy is, as usually the case with a Russell directed film, anchored by the heavyweight performance of our main star Lawrence, but what’s surprising is how compelling the story engrossed me. Bradley Cooper shows up in a nice supporting role playing QVC head Neil Walker, while De Niro feels like he is playing himself as Joy’s dad Rudy. I could argue that I wanted more with this picture or it wasn’t as fulfilling compared to the likes of American Hustle, The Fighter or Silver Linings Playbook. Joy could have suffered as a made for TV movie, but thanks to some strong performances combined with a director that manages his cathartic undertones well, it can easily make the full leap to full-length motion picture. B+

By: Nate Adams (@TheOnlyCritic) on TWITTER & INSTAGRAM