JOY starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro

Dir David O Russell has garnered numerous Oscar & Golden Globe nominations for his films, SILVER LINING PLAYBOOK & AMER HUSTLE.  Russell has aligned a bench of A list stars ready to go to bat for him:  Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper.  JOY stars Jennifer Lawrence as the real life rag to riches entrepeneur Joy Mangano and received an Oscar nom & Golden Globe for her performance.   Lawrence is batting 1,000 for all 3 Russell films; earning a Golden Globe for each of her starring roles.  Perhaps Lawrence is owed an Oscar nom for playing Joy  because without her indomitable drive in the role the movie would have been cast off in the junk pile or the island of broken toys.  The movie was narrated by Joy's grandmother in a confusing flashback & futuristic vantage including speaking from beyond the grave.  De Niro and Cooper are in the mix but in such minor & over acted roles as her father & her business associate.  The movie is relentless and joyless.  The inspiring message may have been intended to show that tenacity, truth and hard work are the essential ingredients to success but as Joy says "the world destroys opportunity."  With a true American dream storyline and an all star cast, Russell missed a golden opportunity.  I felt hustled by the expectation for amusement.  JOY was draining and the whole production felt rusty.