Films
Joy (2015)
David O. Russell's biopic about Joy Mangano is among the most accurate portraits of what solo entrepreneurship actually feels like — the gap between the quality of your idea and the support structure around it is exactly where the film lives.
“Not inspirational in the simple sense — honest in a specific sense. For the LEC community, that is considerably more useful.”
Films editorial verdict
Not inspirational in the simple sense — honest in a specific sense. For the LEC community, that is considerably more useful.
Streaming — Apple TV, Amazon Prime · Available on streaming
What we loved
- Lawrence's performance — controlled, specific, and intelligent
- The QVC sequences, which are unexpectedly moving
- The film's willingness to spend real time in the unsexy middle of building
Things to note
- The fictional grandmother framing device weakens the opening twenty minutes
- Russell's tonal inconsistency occasionally undercuts otherwise strong scenes
What we loved
- Lawrence's performance — controlled, specific, and intelligent
- The QVC sequences, which are unexpectedly moving
- The film's willingness to spend real time in the unsexy middle of building
Things to note
- The fictional grandmother framing device weakens the opening twenty minutes
- Russell's tonal inconsistency occasionally undercuts otherwise strong scenes
Editorial pull quote
Not inspirational in the simple sense — honest in a specific sense. For the LEC community, that is considerably more useful.
