If you say the words "British period piece" three times in front of a mirror, Bill Nighy will show up immediately with all his lines memorised already. Someone should turn that into a horror, just saying. Horror is not in the cards today when we delve into its old nemesis, known as Joy, a biographical drama that recounts the true story behind the development of IVF and the first successful birth as a result of it. Set in Oldham in the 1960s and 1970s, our ragtag team of healthcare professionals and scientists consists of nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), physiologist Robert Edwards (James Norton) and obstetrician Patrick Steptoe (Nighy). Motivated by personal and professional interests regarding infertility, they seek to make the impossible possible whilst facing vitriol from their peers, media, religious communities and their members, including Jean's own mom Gladys May (Joanna Scanlan).
Like with these casting choices, you also get your highly predictable storytelling, aesthetics and structure in ways that will not surprise you in the slightest. Written by Jack Thorne from a story by Emma Gordon, Rachel Mason, Shaun Topp and him, the events and details within them are pretty straightforward and perhaps even comforting if you've ever seen one of these "true stories" in a UK-set film or three-to-six-episode miniseries. Joy takes a look at motherhood, the importance of a choice and scientific ambition rather matter-of-factly, rarely colouring outside the lines.
It does, however, colour juuust enough to make you want the best for our main characters. Jean is caught in the intersection of her own infertility, sexuality and faith, which then also impacts Gladys May's narrow-minded idea of motherhood; Robert's ambition comes at a cost of his public image and family life; and Patrick quietly feels like he has a ticking clock hanging over him, reminding that he only has a limited number of years or months to get over the finish line. Some of the added shades for the women in their test group don't hold your interest nearly as much but the main trio's interplay earns your sympathy.
Director Ben Taylor elicits mostly performances that range from satisfactory to good from his cast, starting with the leads, although Nighy struggles to conjure the necessary emotion—with his vocal delivery and intonation specifically—during the film's most important moments when the spotlight includes Patrick. The veteran actor is essentially playing the hits with muscle memory, which isn't subtractive, but it is noticeable when he's paired up with McKenzie who enters scenes with a certain kind of vim. Besides such unintentional errors, you get exactly what you expect, which is a nice, slightly sterile but nonetheless eloquent biopic about the types of miracles that humanity is capable of when you have good intentions. Just as long as you're not looking for anything that properly rocks your entire world and worldview, it'll be hard to be disappointed by this adequately told story.
Smileys: Characterisation
Frowneys: Nothing too awful
Speaking of horror, a film or series about "test YouTube babies" and featuring family vloggers might show all the ugliness that humans are capable of. Those people can be absolute freaks.
3.0/5
Where to watch:
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