Joy
Movie Review by Ilana Taieb Hagerty / 8th grade
Joy is a 2015 semi-biographical drama film, written and directed by David O. Russell and starring Jennifer Lawrence as Joy.
The movie is based on Joy Mangano's story - a self-made millionaire who created her own business empire.
Mangano was a divorced mother with three children in the early 1990s when she invented the Miracle Mop and became an overnight success, after which she patented many other products, often selling on the Home Shopping Network and QVC.
Joy was released on December 25, 2015, and is distributed by 20th Century Fox. It earned mixed reviews from critics, who praised Lawrence's performance but criticized the pace of the film, particularly the first half. Joy received two Golden Globe Award nominations including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and a win for Lawrence for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Lawrence also received a nomination for Best Actress at the 88th Academy Awards.
In the movie, Joy Mangano is a divorced mother of two, working as a booking clerk. She lives with her two young children, her mother, Terri, her grandmother, Mimi, and her ex-husband Tony in Quogue, New York.. Joy's mother encourages Joy to give up her dreams of becoming a successful inventor although her grandmother and her best friend Jackie believe that if she will pursue her ideas and become a strong successful woman.
After divorcing his third wife, Joy's father starts dating Trudy, a wealthy Italian widow with some business experience. While on Trudy's boat, Joy drops a glass of red wine...
No spoilers! Watch the movie.. I highly recommend it- we learn that it is possible to rise from nothing, and that what people say does not matter- if you pursue your dreams and never give up, you will make it!
This all sounds very clichée, but the movie is worth watching.
Enjoy Joy!