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Jennifer Lawrence Has Returned To Hollywood

The powerfully protective maternal energy of Winter’s Bone mixes with the scared-shitless empathy she brought to House at the End of the Street, not to mention the effortless, no-nonsense command that won her an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook. Takes major narrative and tonal risks — its Cinemascore grade is an F, one of only 19 ever given to a movie — but this is the kind of audacious movie that requires the daring and poise of a true movie star. Lawrence’s openness has always been one of her strongest qualities, but here she shuts off almost completely, challenging the audience to decipher what Dominika is thinking at any point in this twisty, pulpy action flick. That mystery is the highlight of this film, which coasts on her daring turn. Lawrence’s third collaboration with director David O. Russell is easily her weakest. This fictionalized portrait of Miracle Mop mastermind Joy Mangano is long on emotional flourishes but lacks the engaging storytelling that made Silver Linings