It’s been a big week for trailers, with “The Revenant” landing just this morning, but our favorite was for “Joy,” the big awards hopeful that reteams David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence. The trailer focuses, as did the one for “American Hustle,” on mood and atmosphere while remaining vague on the plot. Nevertheless, we are promised something very striking and quite different from the team’s lighthearted previous projects.
For those left wanting a little more, Russell has talked to Empire about the trailer, and spilled a little more information on the movie. "Joy" is ostensibly a biopic of Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano, but don’t expect it to be entirely factual. “This is not just based on one person,” he tells Empire, “I based it on my own mother and her friends, who are a very fierce group of ladies.”
Russell also reveals that while Lawrence “carries the movie,” a task she’s sure to be up for, it’s not a one-woman show: “It’s ambitious in the different voices that it has, and there’s four powerful women (referring to Lawrence’s Joy, Diane Ladd as her grandmother, Virginia Madsen as her mother, and Isabella Rossellini as her wealthy stepmother), and three strong men: De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Edgar Ramirez.”
He’s swinging for the fences here too, with Russell describing the movie as “a fable that lives somewhere between, you know, ‘Citizen Kane,’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.” Big talk, but with his current, scorching form, perhaps not entirely complacent.
That said, don’t expect the film to land without controversy. After “12 Years A Slave,” “Belle,” “Jurassic World” and others, “Joy” looks like it could be the next screenwriting credit controversy in Hollywood. The film was originally penned by “Bridesmaids” Oscar-nominee Annie Mumulo, but the trailer only gives her story credit, with Russell getting full screenplay credit. Not everyone seems to be behind this: outspoken “Saving Mr. Banks” and “Fifty Shades Of Grey” writer Kelly Marcel‘s tweet is below, suggesting that there may be some fireworks to come between now and the movie’s Christmas Day release. In the meantime, check out two new photos here, and the rest of Russell’s interview over at Empire.
The way DOR got himself sole credit on this is disgusting. http://t.co/fOsZbx44ST. Thoughts with @anniemumolo.
— Kelly Marcel (@MissMarcel) July 15, 2015
