Respond to these rapid questions in our Joy quiz and we will tell you which Joy character you are. Play it now.
An unlikely subject for a film adaptation of her life, Joy Mangano rose from modest beginnings to become a household name thanks to her innovative products for the home (most notably, the Miracle Mop; however, she holds over 100 patents). It’s possible that only the director, David O. Russell, could see the potential in it, which was helped along by his fascination with Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Mangano in the film.
The film “Joy” requires its viewers to develop an emotional attachment to an old broom. It’s completely absurd. But I’ll be damned if I didn’t get carried away by the story of a mop sweeping the nation. “Joy” isn’t perfect, and the structure that’s established so clearly in the opening sequence is abandoned early on for no apparent reason, but I was swept away by the tale of a mop sweeping the nation. It’s like a deranged version of “Mildred Pierce,” but without any of the bloodshed.
The story of “Joy” begins as a fable about a young girl named Mimi who enjoys making things, and it is told in an epic style by the girl’s doting grandmother (Diane Ladd). When it first appears, the narration has such a strong presence that its absence is immediately noticeable. It does not have the feel of being deliberate at all. The majority of the movie takes place without Diane Ladd, despite the fact that she is supposed to be the key “witness” to her granddaughter’s secret gifts. Why exactly is unclear. You had completely forgotten that Mimi’s narration had previously served as a plot device until it was brought back up again. This is not a continuation but rather an interruption to what was going on. The progression of “Joy” can be seen as a series of stylistic stops and starts. It just won’t be able to calm down.
Joy does not view herself the same way that her grandmother does; her grandmother believes that Joy messed up her life by getting married to a Tom Jones impersonator (Edgar Ramrez, who gives a performance that is both hilarious and surprisingly moving), having two children with him, divorcing him, and then continuing to be friends with him. Now, she lives in a run-down house with her entire extended family, including her exes, and her ex-husband, who is known to hang out in the basement while wearing a tuxedo and belting out power ballads from the 1970s into a microphone. Her mother, played by Virginia Madsen, spends all day dozing off in bed and watching soap operas. (Real-life soap opera stars such as Susan Lucci, Laura Wright, and Donna Mills make cameo appearances in re-creations, which are an entertaining device that are not developed in any way, analogous to the voiceover.) One day, Joy’s father, who is portrayed in the film by Robert De Niro, knocks on the door in search of a place to stay after being kicked out of the house by his new wife. While this is going on, the grandmother can be seen peering around corners while reassuring her anxious granddaughter with reassuring words.
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One day, Joy sits down in front of her daughter’s crayons and draws a picture of a revolutionary mop. She approaches Trudy, her dad’s new girlfriend and a wealthy woman played by Isabella Rosselini, in order to obtain the funds necessary to launch a new venture. However, Joy is not having any success in selling her new invention. Step forward Bradley Cooper, who plays the role of Neil Walker, a smooth-talking executive producer at QVC. Neil views Joy as the type of inventor you might find at an open-mic night for amateurs; consequently, he decides to give her a shot on television. In a hurry to increase her stock, Joy hastily sets up an assembly line in the auto repair shop that her father owns. Along the way, she has to deal with shady manufacturers, Trudy’s increasingly demanding and irate mogul behavior regarding her investment, and the very real urgency that her house is falling apart and she can’t afford a plumber.
“Joy” includes chaotic family scenes with the let-the-camera-find-the-action quality that is familiar from Russell’s other family comedies such as “The Silver Linings Playbook,” “Flirting with Disaster,” “I Heart Huckabees,” and sections of “The Fighter,” with the scowling rogues gallery of practically identical sisters like something out of a fairy-tale. They are the funniest scenes in “Joy,” with De Niro smashing knickknacks, Ramirez throwing in comments from off-screen, Madsen wailing like a martyr from her day-bed, and Ladd whispering New Age-y encouragement. Madsen wailing like a martyr from her day-bed. These moments are packed with genuine vitality. One shot in particular is so hilarious (the camera moving down the basement stairs into the ex-lair), husband’s that it serves as a good example of what inventive camerawork is capable of accomplishing.
Joy Quiz
Jennifer Lawrence has worked with director David O. Russell on three different occasions, including the Oscar-winning films “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” and now “Joy” (her first, for “Silver Linings Playbook”). Because the “Hunger Games” franchise is so massive, it is sometimes easy to forget that “Winter’s Bone” was the book that introduced Jennifer Lawrence to a significant number of people (as well as her first Oscar nod). She brought a naturalism and a gravitas far beyond her years to the role of Alice in “Winter’s Bone.” Her public persona is entertaining in an old-fashioned way: she would have killed on Johnny Carson, much like Burt Reynolds used to kill in his appearances. Her persona is reminiscent of Burt Reynolds. Because there are so many obedient performers promoting their project on late-night talk shows and at press conferences, Lawrence’s appearances come off as even more anarchic than they already are. In this regard, she is reminiscent of Carole Lombard, who was a glittering natural comedienne onscreen and a trash-talking sailor off-screen. This aspect of her personality is similar to Carole Lombard’s. That is something that David O. Russell draws on. Perhaps even more importantly, he recognized Lawrence’s potential from the beginning of their relationship.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Joy quiz.
It is possible for a director to be accused of playing Svengali or Henry Higgins if they are seen to be obsessed with their leading actress, or it may be taken as evidence that the director has lost his “objectivity” (as though objectivity is the mark of a good director.) However, a great deal of wealth has been produced as a result of that kind of obsession. Because Josef von Sternberg was so fixated on Marlene Dietrich, he was the one who first showed her to the rest of the world. Lauren Bacall was plucked out of obscurity by Howard Hawks and given the lead role opposite Humphrey Bogart in “To Have and Have Not,” which is considered to be one of the most extraordinary screen debuts in the history of cinema. This was because Howard Hawks was so invested in his imaginary ideal woman, which he described as being “insolent, feminine but not soft.” Diane Keaton’s reputation as an awkward leading lady was solidified thanks to Woody Allen’s collaboration with the actress. Christian Petzold’s films with Nina Hoss have been one of the most important contemporary collaborations, highlighting Nina Hoss’s abilities as an actress. These films have been made in collaboration with Christian Petzold (which is everything). The obsession that David O. Russell has with Lawrence is comparable. He has a perspective on her that none of the other directors have. He understood how hilarious she was being. Even though she has been too young for almost all of the roles that he has cast her in (this is true of “Joy,” as well, where she needs to age 20 years), he saw in her the potential to play a classic leading lady.
When Lawrence, playing the role of Joy, stands on the brightly lit QVC stage, frozen in fear at the cameras, and then gathers herself together to rant about her Miracle Mop, the conviction in the monologue is so strong that an organic flush actually rises in Lawrence’s cheeks. This is because Lawrence is so emotionally invested in what she is saying. Because of Joy’s broom and the possibilities it holds, Lawrence becomes emotional, and that emotion is conveyed to the audience because Lawrence herself has such a strong belief in the broom. There are also sequences like these: A scene of Joy letting off steam at an impromptu shooting range, and a hostage situation in a Texas hotel. In the final scene, Lawrence can be seen slowly approaching the camera while putting on her trendy sunglasses. Her short hair is seen bouncing around in front of her face as she does so. Even though the moment drags on for what seems like an eternity, Russell can’t get enough of it. In her review of the film “Funny Girl,” Pauline Kael had this to say about Barbra Streisand:
About the quiz
“In life, people who are extraordinarily talented and people who are highly motivated can be difficult to deal with; they can be a pain. They are divine in plays and in opera, and they are even more divine on the screen, where we can see them in their perfect form and where we are even safer from them.
Also, you must try to play this Joy quiz.
The movie “Joy” is pretty ridiculous, and there are significant portions of it that are ineffective. It is abundantly clear that Lawrence will be the focal point of the film, but if anyone is due a vehicle, it should be her.
For more personality quizzes check this: When The Bough Breaks Quiz.
