By Teri Bayus ~
I heard that this movie received negative reviews and feedback, so I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed the movie as much as I did.
To me, “Joy,” was equal to what romantic comedies mean to lovers. As an entrepreneur who has lost as many businesses as I have succeeded in, this movie rocked me to my core. I cried, I cheered and finally I yelled out loud.
This is a movie about a woman who finally takes her life into her own hands despite her family forever pulling her back. Like a blow-up punching bag, she keeps bobbing back up no matter what happens. I loved every second of this darkly funny and much too-close-to-home film.
The plot: In 1990 Joy Mangano invented the “Miracle Mop.” It was a complete flop and nearly bankrupted her and her family in the process. The U.S. shopping channel’s top on screen sales people couldn’t work it and so her “once in a lifetime” opportunity to make millions turned into standing on the cusp of losing them instead.
She took matters into her own hands. She asked QVC to let her sell her mops herself on screen explaining, “I’m just like everybody else out there. I’m a mom, I work, I have a house to clean, things to organize. We all have certain similar needs, and I address them.”
This came across in a very real and engaging way on QVC and the rest was history. She is now a billionaire 3-times over.
There’s no denying that the grand appeal in Joy is Jennifer Lawrence’s compelling performance.
A poor, over-worked woman selling a plastic mop does not sound that thrilling on paper. However, Lawrence takes it up a level to a commanding story about a woman who never gives up and against all odds makes her own opportunities happen.
She takes you on an emotional journey from start to finish. Lawrence has the undeniable ability to make you ache along with her struggles. This can be uncomfortable, which is why so many people had distaste for the film.
No one wants to be told that hard work and strong will are not enough to succeed in this world, and, as a whole, Joy does just that.
That being said, Joy left me feeling encouraged. As an aspiration-filled woman, Lawrence’s portrayal makes me feel like I can take on the world and succeed. Lawrence’s deadpan stares, as she struts in and out of offices, never backing down and forever looking for a way to make her dreams reality.
Joy employs a subtle humor. I giggled as much as yelled. The purposefully over-the-top soap opera scenes obsessed over by bed-bound Terry (played by Virginia Madsen) are just enough to raise the otherwise dark tone.
Her entire family was obscenely real and that hit home, as well as my funny bone.
I loved that her Grandmother was always the voice of “You can do anything” in her ear, as I had that and aspire to be that for my grandbabies. Joy was a wonderful movie for those of us who never give up.
Teri Bayus can be reached at: [email protected] or follow her writing and ramblings at: www.teribayus.com. Bayus also hosts Taste Buds, a moving picture rendition of her reviews shown on Charter Ch. 10. Dinner and a Movie is a regular feature of Tolosa Press.
