JOY

US, 2015, 124 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Dascha Polanco, Elizabeth Rohm, Susan Lucci, Laura Wright, Ken Howard.
Directed by David O. Russell.

Joy is a rather generic name for a film. We might expect experiences of joy and, by contrast, experiences of sadness. But Joy is the name of the central character, based on actual person, Joy Mangano. With her invention of the squeezing mop, the title of the film could have been Mop.

Audience expectation is high with Jennifer Lawrence in the central role. She had worked with the director, David O. Russell on The Silver Linings Playbook and won an Oscar for best actress. She also worked with him on American Hustle, a small role, striking and Oscar-nominated. Here she is the central character. She also works again with Bradley Cooper as she did in the previous Russell films as well in the period drama, Serena.

In fact, the film begins with sequences from a black and white, very stolidly photographed and performed, soap opera. The audience needs to keep this in mind as we watch because Russell is very serious with his American dream drama, with its touches of nightmares, contrasting with the soap operas. Indeed, the soap opera continues throughout the film, later developments in colour and more sophisticated filmmaking, constantly watched by Joy’s mother, Terry, Virginia Madsen, a recluse after her divorce, living in her room, dependent on her television program.

We see Joy as a child, with her half-sister, Peggy, friends but with a touch of rivalry. Their father, Rudi, who owns a repair business, is played by Robert De Niro.

The screenplay then cuts out a lot of information (later to be taken up in flashbacks) and we find Joy, married and divorced, a mother of two children, working for an airline, a mortgage on her house, living with her grandmother and her reclusive mother, not many prospects in life. As she meets with her best friend, Marie, Dascha Polanco, we are treated to flashbacks about Joy, going to a bar, meeting the singer, Tony (Edgar Ramirez), then bonding, marriage, the years going past, two children, his not getting a satisfactory job, his living in the basement, Joy and Tony still good friends. And then her father wants somewhere to live and is put in the basement where he fights continually with Tony.

There is a development when Rudi makes an online dating connection, a widow called Trudi (Isabella Rossellini) and they hit it off. It is on a yacht cruise where they are forbidden to drink red wine which could stain the teak wood work, where they do drink it, spill it, and Joy mops it up, cutting her hand – but, having invented things in her childhood, gets her thinking about a mop that one needn’t have to handle but could be squeezed by an inner mechanism.

Audiences may be surprised that they are spending so much time in the development of the Mop, the production of the Mop, money loans, promotion of the Mop.

Trudi does give a loan although she has fixed ideas about business. When Joy tries to demonstrate the use of the mop outside K Mart, she is arrested. The local parish priest has gathered together a number of Hispanic women who need work and they combine to become the company who makes the Mops.

Tony has a connection with a producer at a television shopping channel, Neil, played by Bradley Cooper. By insistence and force of personality, Joy demonstrates the mop for Neil, persuades him to let her advertise – with the screenplay giving us an idea about the origins of these channels, the developments, the revolving stages, the process of filming, the number of phone calls, the business success.

The American dream becomes a nightmare when the salesman spoils the whole demonstration – with Joy then determined to do it herself, defying the advice for make-up and clothes, freezing at first, and then warming to the situation and the sales rocket.

That would be too good to be true. As has been said, the American dream has nightmares and there are all kinds of clashes, especially with her sister Peggy who wants to control things with the support of her father, and issues of bankruptcy especially with Trudi, confrontation of the factory owners in California, the discovery of fraud from Texas – and Joy, studying the documentation, confronting the enemy, succeeds and her dreams come true.

Whether they had been put off by a such a study of Mops, a number of commentators decided that the film was rather trivial and silly – but, it seems they have underestimated Jennifer Lawrence’s screen presence and performance, the strength of the supporting cast, the value of the American dream for someone who might have been very ordinary and unachieving American housewife.

1. The title? The character? Joy and sadness in her life?

2. The director, his work, collaboration with the main cast?

3. An American story, the American dream – with nightmares?

4. The introduction, the narration by Mimi, her comments on Joy and her life, her prospects, and her comments even after her death? The young children, the half sisters, Joy and her inventions, her parents, reactions, the separation and divorce?

5. The use of soap operas throughout the film, the initial scenes, stilted, black and white photography, performances, soap opera situations? Themes, rivalries, relationships? The later sequences in colour, more sophisticated film-making, the same stories? Terry and her continued watching of these soap operas? The director’s comment on soap operas and his story? Parallels, differences?

6. Terry and the plumbing needs, the arrival of Toussaint, his work – and everybody’s surprise that he and Terry make a couple?

7. The audience finding Joy suddenly married, Tony, the two children, her working for the airlines, being downgraded? The divorce, Tony living in the basement? Her relationship with her father, his repair service, the huge wall with his picture? His wanting to move in, the basement, the continued fights with Tony?

8. Rudi, character, his work, the repairs, the three wives, his relying on his daughter Peggy, her work to him, with him? His relationship with Joy, the doing
the accounts, his gratitude? The mortgages on the house? Her mother, reclusive, pampered, watching the television and the soap operas in her room?

9. Rudi, dating online, the comments from Joy, the connection with Trudi, their deciding to meet, the meal, hitting it off, Trudi’s story about her husband, Morris, and his wealth? His yacht?

10. Joy and Marie talking, assessing the situation, the occasion of the flashbacks?

11. The picture of the children, Joy growing up, going to the bar, the encounter with Tony, his singing, their talking, the bond between them, the marriage, her father and his criticisms just before the marriage ceremony? The years passing, the children, his hopes, being stuck, their bickering, the divorce, his living in the house – but their being good friends?

12. Trudi, inviting them all on the yacht, the caution about the red wine, on the sea, the drinking, the red wine and the stain, Joy mopping up, cutting her hand? Thinking about the mop, the drawings on her daughter’s wall, the physics of the mop, the twisting, the length of cotton and its absorption, in the washing machine? The plan?

13. Her meeting with Rudi, with Trudi, Tony present? The request? Trudi and her ideas about Morris, money and business? Her interrogation of Joy? The question about taking up the gun for a rival?

14. The loan, the plan, contacts with California, manufacturing, the prices going up, the making of the mop, Joy demonstrating it in front of K Mart, with her daughter, her friend, the arrest? Tony and his family passing by and the sense of humiliation?

15. Tony, his idea, going to the shopping television station, the background of Barry Diller and his setting it up? Meeting with Neil Walker? Having to wait, the end of the day, her insistence, going into the meeting, talking with Neil? Neil and his significant speech about the nature of television shopping, advertising, sales, people’s needs, the phone calls? Joy talking with him, the demonstration, his believing in her?

16. Shopping online, the studio, the revolving stages? And the demonstrations, Joan Rivers, the jewels? The phone calls, the sales, the numbers? Joy being impressed? Neil and his offer? The main seller, the possibilities of making the mops, the local priest, the number of Hispanic women that he rounded up, their working on making the mops?

17. Everybody watching the television at home, excitement, the main salesman and his fiasco?

18. Joy, her demonstration, the preparation, clothes and make-up, freezing, there are urging her to talk, Marie phoning and listening Joy’s attitude, the plug, the energy, Joy making the mop personable, the focus on her hands, the numbers, the excitement?

19. The phone call, Mimi and her death, her optimism for Joy, Joy losing her hope? The funeral?

20. The funeral, Rudy and his reaction, Peggy going to California, paying the $20,000 without authorisation? Joy and her meeting with the family, her strong, hardline?

21. Neil, Joy, friendship, commercial friends – and potential commercial enmity? Neil coming in later years and his warning about plans for Joy?

22. Joy going to California, confronting the businessman, going to the toilet, getting out the window, observing everything, the moulds, the police coming, the arrest?

23. The meetings of the family, her daughter present, the sense of failure, bankruptcy? Rudi and his attitude, plain himself? Trudi and attitude towards business? Peggy and her jealousy?

24. Joy’s studying the documents, the information about the Texas boss, the decision to go to Dallas, the hotel room, his visiting, his threats, her hold over him, the phone call to Hong Kong about the royalties, the exposé of the fraud, urging the Texan to retract, the extra money, his signing the document’s?

25. The change over the years, the children growing up, her caring for her parents, a company, fashionable clothes and has style, sitting in the office, looking at the cutouts from her childhood, kneels visit and talk about the future? Joy’s inventions, a company, his story, the fulfilment of the American dream?