Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Movie Night: “Joy”

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I was excited about getting a sneak preview of “Joy” because director David O Russell’s last few movies (“The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle”) have been so entertaining. I wish I could say the same about “Joy.”

Jennifer Lawrence is terrific as the real-life Joy Mangano, a divorced, working-class mother who invented the Miracle Mop and sold her product with great success on the Home Shopping Network. Lawrence leads a cast that includes David O Russell favorites, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, along with Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini and Diane Ladd. The problem with the movie isn’t the actors. It’s the kitchen-sink approach to telling Joy’s story. The first half has a wonderful manic energy and I loved it. We learn that Joy’s divorced but her ex lives in the basement of her house and is still her buddy; that her father’s latest girlfriend is a wealthy widow who ends up backing Joy’s mop; that her mom hides in her bedroom watching soap operas (fun cameos by Susan Lucci and Donna Mills); and that her grandmother has always been her biggest champion, telling her she can do anything she puts her mind to.

It’s the second half of the movie that falls apart. The pace slows to a crawl at times, particularly when Joy gets to HSN. We watch her succeed, lose everything, sink to rock bottom, recover, become a mogul – and none of it makes a lot of sense. The tone veers wildly from girl-makes-good story to total farce, and the editing is choppy. Worst of all, it seems to take forever for “The End” to appear on the screen. “Joy” isn’t a bad movie by any means. It’s just not what I’ve come to expect from a good director. I loved that he chose to tell the story of a female protagonist, but I wondered throughout the movie why he picked this one. It’s just not that interesting.

 

Movie Day: "American Hustle"

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Today was a treat: the first “public” showing of the film, which won’t be released until mid-December. It’s full of the same high-octane energy that fueled director David O Russell’s last two movies, “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” and it features many of the same cast members: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro. But “American Hustle,” while also about flawed characters you come to care about and root for, is much more ambitious in its canvas. Very loosely based on the ABSCAM investigations of the late ’70s and early ’80s, it’s about a bunch of con artists and FBI officers who work together to bring down corrupt politicians and mob casino bosses, among others.

Brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is married to his completely unpredictable wife Rosalind (Jennifer Lawrence) and is a loving father to their son in their Long Island home. At the same time, he’s madly in love with and in cahoots with with the equally cunning – and very sexy – Sydney (Amy Adams). They’re forced to work for a wild and crazy FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is alluring. From the opening scene, in which we meet the fat (you should see that gut!), balding (you should see that combover!) Irving, I kept thinking Is that really Christian Bale???? Talk about throwing himself into a role. He’s almost unrecognizable and so, so good. After watching him last weekend in “Out of the Furnace” and thinking back on his other performances, I’m really thinking he’s one of the greatest actors we have right now. He’s a total shape-shifter in this movie.

As I said above, the energy throughout is high and the cons just keep making your head spin, and it’s not always easy to keep up with who’s conning whom and why. But my biggest problem with the film, which I mostly liked, was its nonstop decibel level. And by that I mean that everybody’s always yelling. Like in almost every scene. About half way into the movie, I had sensory overload and the movie exhausted me. I would have loved a few scenes of quiet, of reflection, of toned down acting.

I still haven’t seen my “Best Movie of the Year.” I’ve seen a lot of good ones but not The One. I’m hoping it’s still out there.

Movie Day: "Silver Linings Playbook"

 

Today’s Cinema Society screening blew me away. I’d read all the rave reviews for “Silver Linings Playbook,” so I went into the theater trying to tamp down my expectations. Good news: the movie didn’t disappoint. At all.

Here’s the movie company’s synopsis…

Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

Here’s the trailer….

Here’s my take…

This comedy/drama about a guy who’s bipolar (Bradley Cooper) and a girl (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s trying to bounce back from the death of her husband is everything you’d want in a grownup movie: great acting, snappy script, brisk pacing, complicated subject. It’s probably my favorite movie of the year so far, although I did love “The Impossible” too.

David O. Russell, who came for the Q&A following the screening, has directed some terrific films, most recently “The Fighter.” He was drawn to the story in part because his son is bipolar (the son even appears in the movie as the kid who knocks on the Solatanos’ door with a video camera). DiNiro’s son is similarly afflicted, so he and Russell both wanted to tackle the material. When Russell was asked why he cast the star of the “Hangover” comedies in such a complex leading role, he explained that he’d seen Cooper in “Wedding Crashers” in which he demonstrated that he could play an angry guy. Jennifer Lawrence, on the other hand, was a last-minute casting choice. The part of Tiffany was a plum role and every actress in Hollywood auditioned. Russell was trying to settle on the right one when Lawrence sent in an audition via Skype – and nailed the part. As a result, the Best Actress Oscar category just got more competitive.

 

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.