Many people on U of M campus might wonder, “Why the hell should I see the movie Joy?” Let us not forget that this is a school where some might say the activist student life was born (although some might give this title to Berkley, but let us not forget about the teach-ins regarding Vietnam); and those in the more activist liberal mindset who live in the halls of RC or protest around The Diag might see the channel QVC, a channel devoted for shopping, and a woman who basically lives there and sells a product symptomatic of our bourgeoisie capitalistic society- a mop- something they would never see!
Even those who don’t find these elements annoyingly capitalistic might think who cares about a mop? Others might think, what the hell is a miracle mop? QVC? My mom watches that channel! A lot of this is so foreign to our world on campus. So, I was thinking, how can you possibly right a review/preview which will appeal to others?
Don’t get wrong, I wanted to see this movie! I want to see it because it deals with a woman dealing with a lot, including the weight of family problems, which at times hinder her dreams. Plus, I wanted to see Jennifer Lawrence a bit more. I haven’t seen Silver Linings Playbook fully, so I am not a Jennifer Lawrence groupie yet. But, I hear that she is a dedicated actress – so why not see her work? But most importantly for me, this is ultimately a rags to riches story- and you cannot go wrong with that!
But, I can assure you after watching this film- that this story has a lot to do with college students. So, David O Russell slightly changed the story of this movie. He made it seem that Joy does not go to college, because life got in her way. When in reality Joy, did go to college. But with 3 young children, family troubles, and crappy jobs, she struggled post- college. And the film shows this. It shows her as a airline ticket attendant. In real life, Joy was even a waitress post college.
The struggle post college. Being underemployed; The struggle with our families. Dealing with perhaps, struggles in the houses we came from. We might get lost. All of this is something that we sooner or later might deal with. But we have to remember to not lose our way. Joy clearly does not.
For those reluctant to see this movie on U of M campus, keeping this mind might be the most appealing motivation.
