Parents' Guide to

Joy

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Inspiring but uneven drama about Miracle Mop inventor.

Movie PG-13 2015 124 minutes
Joy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 5 parent reviews

T F.
T F. Adult
June 18, 2016
age 16+

Wonderfully inspiring film

I watched this film with my 18 year old daughter and really found it inspiring. Against all odds she made things work for herself. I think it's a wonderful character film to show that you have to keep on trying, and be nice about it, even when things get tough. The performances are top notch.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
manojs
manojs Parent of 9 and 12-year-old
January 23, 2016
age 9+
My wife and I saw this at the cinema and decided we should watch it together as a family (12 year old boy and 9 year old girl). The main reason was that the movie covered an individual who persevered with an idea, and also supported and provided the glue for a dysfunctional (and amusing) family. We thought the movie had simple but positive messages about both persistence (life-long) and affection within families despite differences. We all enjoyed it, despite the appropriate comments about the unevenness of the script. We did have to explain what "patents" were before to the kids and I am not sure how much they actually understood of the meeting between Joy and the cowboy at the end ... but I would recommend it as a good movie to watch on a quiet night in with plenty to talk about.

This title has:

Great role models
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

JOY Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) has always had an inventive mind. As a child, she built entire worlds and sought to make them real. But as the saying goes, life has a way of making other plans: When Joy's parents divorce, she and her half-sister are torn apart, making tensions between them worse. Though Joy graduated as her class valedictorian and got into college, she never went -- she was too busy taking care of her dysfunctional family. So when she has a eureka moment and comes up with the idea for the Miracle Mop, she's excited and ready to take on the challenge of getting it made and selling it. And quite a challenge it is.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (13):

Director David O. Russell's signature kinetic charm is at play here, but this movie falls short of greatness. Lawrence delivers a brilliant performance, backed by an unimpeachable cast that includes Robert De Niro as Mangano's father, Isabella Rossellini as his girlfriend, and Bradley Cooper as a QVC genius.

But the meandering, over-long script is all over the place, and Russell's jazzy genius -- which lofted previous films -- feels a bit like a shortcut here. Joy never quite finds its center. Still, Joy's rags-to-riches -- with a load of obstacles in turn -- is inarguably inspiring.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the fact that Joy is a true story. How accurate do you think it is to what actually happened? Why might filmmakers choose to tweak the truth in movies based on real life?

  • How does the movie depict Joy's journey? What's the takeaway? How does she demonstrate perseverance? Why is this an important character strength?

  • The movie pays a lot of attention to how the Miracle Mop was invented; is this commercialism or not?

  • Why do you think Joy puts up with her difficult family? Is she being a martyr,In or does she simply have a different way of handling her relatives?

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