Joy (2015)

Highly intelligent drama – with welcome flashes of subtle comedy – directed by David O. Russell, who also made the excellent Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle with the same actors.

Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) invents a “miracle mop” that seems destined to transform her fortunes, but she has to deal with complex family matters and business sharks out to rip her off. Lawrence is as compelling as ever, while Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Isabella Rossellini are all impressive in supporting roles.

It’s a testament to how well the film was made that a demonstration of mop functionality can work as the dramatic and emotional high point. It’s also to be applauded that the obvious Lawrence/Cooper romance option was not pursued, and a more nuanced relationship between the pair was explored instead.

Like Russell’s other films, music is hugely important and the late 1960s/early 1970s soundtrack selections (Stones, Buffalo Springfield, etc) were expertly chosen.

I also like the way the film offered a very unexpected twist to its narration about two thirds of the way through...

Three Kings (2000)

David O. Russell directs this war film set in 1991 at the end of the first Gulf War, but it’s not up to his usual high standards.

George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are more than passable as jaded American soldiers. Ice Cube is merely OK as part of their team going on a mission to retrieve stolen gold. 

It’s an interesting but uneasy balance of comedy, history and violence. The tone is all over the place and it doesn’t always work. It’s gritty without being believable, and it’s silly without being especially funny.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Adapted by David O. Russell from a novel by Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook is a warm-hearted drama that somehow finds comedy and romance in mental illness without trivialising it.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) is a bipolar man who was placed in a psychiatric hospital for assaulting the teacher having an affair with his wife. Released to live at home with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert De Niro), he’s intent on getting back with his wife, which you sadly learn is a delusion, and when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) he believes he’s found a way to engineer a reunion. His father wrestles with OCD and superstitions, which are brought into focus by his love of the Philadelphia Eagles and his work in illegal bookmaking. Plus, he’s had his own violent episodes. You soon realise where Pat’s troubles stem from.

The plot progresses in various threads and resolves them all wonderfully. There’s sparking dialogue, considerable wit and remarkable acting.

It’s a treat to hear "Girl from the North Country" sung by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, accompanying a tender collage scene in which Cooper and Lawrence learn to dance together. The strong soundtrack also includes the White Stripes.

How amazing that you can feel moved by a film in which the main character goes jogging in a black bin liner, but Silver Linings Playbook is something very special. I’ve seen it three or four times now and it never fails to move and amuse.

The Fighter (2010)

This memorable drama directed by the always reliable David O. Russell tells the true-life story of the boxer Micky Ward and his large family life in Lowell, Massachusetts. It particularly focuses on his relationship with his troubled half-brother, who is not only his trainer but also a crack addict who is sent to prison. 

Like I, Tonya, it explores how a desperate, manipulative mother can push to have her child succeed in sport – whatever the personal cost. Unlike that film, it doesn’t employ tricksy narrative devices or self-conscious fourth-walling and so it’s much more affecting as a result. 

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale are tremendous as the half-brothers driven apart, with the latter giving the intense, twitchy performance of a lifetime. His eyes say so much, and you never doubt that you’re seeing a real drug addict. Amy Adams is hugely sympathetic as the girlfriend who seems like Micky’s only hope and who wants to save him from his overbearing mother, terrifyingly brought to life by Melissa Leo. His horrible gang of catty sisters will also unfortunately stay with me. 

In some ways it’s a terribly sad story, but it’s also a rousing one owing to the way it charts Micky’s rise to prominence within the boxing world. The fight sequences are difficult to watch, but then I could never understand a “sport” that involves punching someone in the head and causing brain damage.

American Hustle (2013)

If you like the novels of Elmore Leonard, you will almost certainly enjoy this neatly plotted crime thriller. A couple of con-artists and an FBI agent try to out-con one another amid an emerging love triangle that complicates matters further. The lead actors are so good that they are a joy to watch. Amy Adams has sparkly chemistry alongside both Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper. Jennifer Lawrence is a treat, as ever – especially in the scene in which she sings along to “Live and Let Die” in a manner that seems genuinely unhinged. Jeremy Renner is compelling as the corrupt mayor regretfully framed by Bale, who has become great friends with him. The 1970s fashions and music are expertly chosen and the period detail feels perfectly done. It’s funny, too, but the comedy is as black as it gets.

There’s not a single scene or line that doesn’t move the plot forwards or deepen the characterisation. It’s funny, too. The team of director David O. Russell plus Cooper, Lawrence and Robert De Niro also made The Silver Linings Playbook and Joy. These people truly know what they are doing.