For the past several weeks, the new film, Joy, has been showing at the historic Loring Theater in downtown Hingham and other movie theaters in the area.  The film is loosely based on the true life story of Joy Mangano.  Mangano invented the Miracle Mop and then proceeded to build a business dynasty off her success.  However, the film focuses on Mangano’s difficult road to her success and the struggles she faced as a woman trying to start her own business.

With such a powerful plot, I was not surprised to find a packed theater on the evening I attended the film.  The film completely captivated the audience.  According to my fellow classmate, Angela White, the film was so entrancing that she felt “incredibly stressed”.  Even though the storyline was pretty tense, the film packed quite a few laughs that resonated with the audience and lightened the mood.  Additionally, as the film was based on a true success story, the ending was very satisfying for the audience.

Joy stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro as Joy Mangano, Neil Walker of QVC and Joy’s father, respectively.  Although these actors have worked together with the film’s director, David O. Russell, on several other films, they successfully created a unique film that told an inspiring story.  De Niro’s character, Joy’s divorced father who is returned by his new wife at the beginning of the film, serves mostly as comedic benefit.  With his excellent timing and wit, De Niro hit the mark and garnered the most laughs from the audience.  Bradley Cooper, though not having as large a role in the film as usual, constructed a complex character that created an interesting foil to Jennifer Lawrence’s character.

Jennifer Lawrence led the film in the role of Joy Mangano.  Her performance in the role was powerful.  As a girl, I found myself inspired by the assertiveness and determination of the character in such a patriarchal society.  Therefore, I did not find her nomination for an Oscar or her Golden Globe win at all surprising.

Overall, I personally found the film to have the perfect balance of comedy and drama.  The story empowered women and spoke out against gender discrimination while still getting the audience to laugh.  Such an achievement by a film demonstrates true greatness on part of the director, the cast, and the plot itself.