An intelligent, underachieving single mother (Jennifer Lawrence) works at an airline counter and lives at home with her depressed TV addicted mother (Virginia Madsen), an encouraging grandmother (Diane Ladd), her ex-husband (Edgar Ramirez), and acerbic father (Robert De Niro) until the day she realizes her dream: inventing the Miracle Mop. Joy is more of the same pointless manic fare from David O. Russell, here an incredibly slight story that is somehow a biographical composite of several women, but is surprising in that it makes for a nice little vehicle for Ms. Lawrence who is actually quite good playing a hard nosed businesswoman/single mom.
** 1/2 out of ****
