As is often the case in British films, Joy is sometimes painfully sweet, but not in the places you'd expect it to be. A meeting at Bob's house is interrupted by a phone call from the tabloids, asking if Bob would like to commission Dr. Frankenstein. This should have come across as a more serious moment, signaling the gravity of what Bob and Gene are doing and foreshadowing Bob's long-standing struggle to get the public to understand the importance of his work. You can enjoy the movie "Joy" on Afdah Tv.
Instead, Bob's wife interrupts the scene; Bob promises that if he sits down he'll be allowed to have more custard, because he'll scare the kids. The film didn't need to be Oppenheimer, but it also didn't need to go so far in the opposite direction as to take on a Paddington tone. After losing a funding opportunity because uptight board members don't understand their weird quirks, it only takes a few seconds for them to share a light joke and vow to move forward. Of course, all this is intended to capture the characters' immense ambition and spirit, but it distracts from the deeper consequences of their work.
Thomas Mackenzie is a welcome protagonist. If this film had been made just five years ago, it would undoubtedly have followed the perspective of Bob, a family man who cannot make the world understand his vision. The personal stakes of Jean's story are reflected in the sentimental tone of the film, but it also seeks to highlight the human impact of artificial insemination. In biopics, mad geniuses often take up a lot of space, without depicting the ordinary people who benefit or suffer from their scientific breakthroughs. Joy gives space to women like Jean, and to hopeful mothers who are taken on a nauseating rollercoaster of emotions. As one pregnant woman says, "Hope is what kills you." The story of artificial insemination shouldn't be limited to men in white coats. It's a story about women with neglectful husbands who want the only man in the world to call theirs, or couples who are told by their church that they must accept this miserable life because that's what God gave them. In the end, it was all for her.
Despite being a British production, Joy is a classic Hollywood biographical drama that tells a true story. It's a fresh twist on the "great man" cliché, allowing for different perspectives within one story. The film strives to be as accessible as possible to the audience through its light-hearted tone and simple dialogue, making this a film you'll watch on Netflix with your parents and probably never think about again.