The David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence Anthology Continues with Joy

Due this Christmas is Joy from Director/Writer David O. Russell and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. The film joins Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle as the third in a row from Russell with those very actors and Lawrence anchoring the entire project. Here’s the first trailer:

As usual, Russell’s film isn’t penetrable in any meaningful way from the pre-release trailers. If you’re so inclined to know about the plot, here’s the official YouTube description:

“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.”

Get it now? It’s about Jennifer Lawrence’s desire to overthrow the male dominion of leading roles in Hollywood. Good for her. Good for America.

In all seriousness, it looks like another head-ringer from the prosperous pair, with Cooper coming off his American Sniper explosion to round out a presumably winning package. De Niro, of course, is just there because De Niro, having jumped off the Scorsese love train and hopped aboard the Russell express.

Expect tragedy encased in monotony encased in love stories encased in grainy filters. See also: HBO’s excellent miniseries Mildred Pierce staring old Jennifer Larence, Kate Winslet.