Is ‘Joy’ Fading From Lawrence’s Omnipresence?
In this loosely-based-on-a-true-story film, nothing seems to be going right for Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), a divorced mother with a dead-end job and a complicated family — until she has a brilliant idea for a new kind of mop. The film follows Joy throughout the years as she establishes her business. It’s the latest in a string of collaborations between Lawrence and director David O. Russell (yes, Bradley Cooper is there, too). And while the two have a solid track record together, is it getting to be a little much? Joy opens in wide release Dec. 25.
JAIMIE: Oh great, another David O. Russell film with his darling film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. To be fair, I do like a few of his films — I Heart Huckabees, Silver Linings Play-book, American Hustle — but I am getting incredibly bored with the repeated Jennifer Lawrence-Bradley Cooper pairings. I can’t keep track of their characters anymore because I just associate them with whoever they played last.
CHRISTINA: I liked her and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings, but I didn’t feel like their chemistry was so above and beyond any other pairing, so it seems almost odd to me that they keep getting cast in a million movies together.
PAIGE: I think there is just too much Jennifer Lawrence everywhere right now. She’s in lead roles in two major blockbuster franchises (The Hunger Games and X-Men) and she’s in basically every single friggin’ David O. Russell movie nowadays, plus all the other stuff she does. She’s a great actress, but you can’t be everywhere as the center of attention and not experience some kickback. She needs to simmer down and take some chill supporting roles.
NICOLE: She started off in one of those too-iconic roles, almost like Daniel Radcliffe, and now it’s tough for her in my eyes. Even in Silver Linings Playbook, I couldn’t stop thinking about Katniss.
JAIMIE: My biggest problem with Jennifer Lawrence sometimes is that she attempts roles I feel would be better suited to an older, more mature actor. This isn’t to say that I don’t think she can act, I think she can. But I am I supposed to believe that she is a divorced mother? Because I can’t. She is a couple of years younger than me (dear god) and I can completely tell. For me, it takes away from the authenticity of the character.
PAIGE: Nothing about J-Law suggests “harried, beaten-down housewife.” She’s still glowing and radiantly young, even when apparently her life is tumbling down around her. She’s lying on the bed, exhausted, and her makeup is still perfect.
CHRISTINA: This is a problem with Hollywood in general, where they cast very young actresses to take on roles that should really go to older women.
JAIMIE: Also, this movie just looks straight up boring.
NICOLE: It seems like a ragsto-riches story. I think story-lines like this give false hope. I’m sure this happens to some people, but definitely not the great majority of people.
PAIGE: Also, like, what the hell is this movie even about? The lady who invented the mop, OK, but also she’s got a shotgun and she’s getting arrested and someone dies and what even.
JAMES: When I first saw the sketches, I thought she was going to create a new fashion line and become some famous designer. But she’s actually inventing the mop! That’s great! Finally! This movie should really clean up at the box office.
JAIMIE: I think I can see what this film is maybe trying to accomplish — like, a picture of the American Dream and achieved by a divorced mother, no less. But god, they could not have found a less compelling story to tell this myth of the American Dream.
