Why Tyler Perry's 'Finding Joy' misses the mark for holiday magic

I love the holiday season and, as cringy as they can be, I enjoy getting into the festivities by watching holiday movies.

From “Home Alone” to “Love Actually” and local favourites like “How to Ruin Christmas” and “Yoh! Christmas”, these films bring the nostalgia, comfort, and festive cheer that the season calls for.

But Tyler Perry's "Finding Joy”, the brand-new Amazon Prime Video release, evoked nothing more than boredom.

The holiday romance, written and directed by the renowned American film-maker, is packed with worn-out clichés and a lacklustre cast that spends most of the film being completely forgettable. It fails miserably at captivating with its opposites-attract storyline.

The film introduces us to Joy (played by Shannon Thornton) during a New York fashion show. Through her friends Ashley (Brittany S. Hall) and Littia (Inayah), we quickly learn that she’s an aspiring designer who is constantly overlooked and disrespected.

The head of the label even steals her designs for the show, and although Joy is frustrated, she believes in paying her dues and that her hustle will eventually pay off.

Joy is also unlucky in love, hopelessly obsessed with her crush, Colton (Aaron O'Connell). Despite never confessing her feelings, she convinces herself that he feels the same way.

A hopeless romantic at heart, Joy spends her free time lost in the world of romance novels, dreaming of fairytale love stories that never quite materialise in her real life.

After being sidelined at the fashion show, Joy is thrilled when Colton invites her to his family home in Colorado for the holidays. She’s certain this is the moment that he’s finally going to confess his love and propose.

Instead, she’s crushed when he asks her to be his “best girl”… at his wedding to someone else.

Devastated, Joy decides to head back to New York immediately. But a massive snowstorm hits, grounding all flights. Determined to leave, she rents a car and drives off, but soon gets lost, loses cell phone reception, and ends up crashing into a frozen lake.

Enter Ridge (Tosin Morohunfola) - a rugged outdoorsman who dives into the icy water to rescue her. He carries the unconscious Joy back to his remote hunting cabin, changes her into warm clothes, and nurses her back to health.

When Joy wakes up, she completely freaks out at being stranded in the middle of nowhere with a stranger. Ridge tries to calm her, explaining that the storm has cut off all routes and that staying put is the safest option.

With heavy snow and severe weather predicted for at least a week, she reluctantly agrees to stay.

But it doesn’t take long for their differences to clash. Joy’s brash, big-city attitude irritates Ridge, who prefers his quiet, off-the-grid lifestyle. With limited food supplies and no Wi-Fi, the two bicker constantly. Some of the scenes clearly try to add humour, but most of it falls flat.

Eventually, after a few awkward exchanges, a whiskey-fuelled evening brings down their walls and sparks an unexpected connection. As the storm rages outside, the pair slowly begin to bond - though it feels more like a predictable Hallmark formula than genuine chemistry.

When the weather finally clears, Joy and Ridge both realise they’ve caught feelings, but their path to love faces serious challenges. She’s a New Yorker chasing her career dreams; he’s a nature-loving recluse who avoids city life.

The film tries to wrap up its differences neatly, but it never really convinces.

Overall, I found the humour in “Tyler Perry's Finding Joy” childish, filled with bad weed jokes and tired stereotypes - from the rude New Yorker to the humble country boy.

The dialogue is painfully slow, and while Perry might have been aiming for a heart-warming, snowed-in fairytale, what he delivers instead is a forgettable holiday film that lacks the charm, chemistry and magic the season deserves.