56
Metascore
48 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinSince Joy is a David O. Russell film, the presence of a) Lawrence and b) bizarre, fizz-popping explosions of catharsis are to be expected. But the ringmaster of The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle seems to have mellowed a little, which means fewer outright belly laughs, but a more layered and involving emotional landscape.
- 80Time Out LondonCath ClarkeTime Out LondonCath ClarkeLawrence is gritty, real and totally genuine. And, after ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Carol’, here’s another film that passes the Bechdel Test for proper female characters with flying colours.
- 75The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezPlaying like a slightly more reflective B-side to the director's greatest hits, his style in this film isn’t for the more cerebral audiences. But for the viewer who relates to family dysfunction, its maddening contradictions and its mercurial tenor, Joy can be painfully funny, engaging and full of relatable heartache.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThat the film itself is nearly as chaotic as the clan it examines can either be regarded as an admirable artistic correlative or a crippling defect, but the splendidly dextrous cast ensures that this goofy success story, which could just easily be titled American Hustle 2, keeps firing on all cylinders in the manner of the writer-director's previous few outings.
- 63Slant MagazineJaime N. ChristleySlant MagazineJaime N. ChristleyDavid O. Russell proposes that there may be no real barrier between the caustic worldview he wears and the sense of childlike wonder he sells.
- 60Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonThe improvisational flair, unpredictable tonal shifts and overt emotional lurches that highlighted American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook are here less consistently inspired and affecting, resulting in a heartfelt fairy tale that only soars in spurts.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawDavid O Russell’s Joy is an intriguing but weirdly subdued and stylised film.
- 50VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangDespite another solid performance from Jennifer Lawrence, anchoring Russell’s sincerely felt tribute to the power of a woman’s resolve in a man’s world, it’s hard not to wish Joy were better — that its various winsome parts added up to more than a flyweight product that still feels stuck in the development stage.
- 45TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeThis is a rare misstep for Russell, who in the past has sold us on all kinds of stories, whether they’re as indescribable as “I Heart Huckabee’s” or as traditional as “The Fighter.” Unlike his indefatigable heroine, however, Russell just can’t seem to close the deal on Joy.