Juggling three children, a dead-end job and what is possibly one of the least desirable living situations imaginable – divorced parents, a poorly grandmother and an old flame all under the one roof – it’s little wonder that Jennifer Lawrence’s Joy calls time for a change. Headlining David O. Russell’s Oscar-tipped drama as the ambitious Miss. Mangano, Lawrence is poised to embark on a true rags-to-riches tale late this year, as the film charts Mangano’s prodigious rise into one of the most successful self-starting entrepreneurs in modern history.
Bundling together all of the Oscar tropes one would expect, it’s little wonder why both O. Russell and Lawrence continue to crop up in conversation as we inch ever closer to awards season. It isn’t the first time that the duo have flirted with cinema’s greatest accolades either, with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle both finding success in recent years.
It’s a hot streak that shows no sign of letting up, and Lawrence revealed her desire to continue to collaborate with the director long into the future. During a Q&A event for the film, the Academy award winner even went so far as to say: “I’ll do anything with you until you die,” the actress told Russell. “It’s sweet and f—ed up.”
David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence will hope to continue their Oscar streak when Joy opens on December 25. And going by the actress’ recent comments, don’t expect the successful pairing to part ways anytime soon.
JOY is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. Jennifer Lawrence stars, with Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, and Virginia Madsen. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, Joy defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love.