Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy 2025 Movie Review
Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy (2025) arrives as a holiday-romance familiar in structure yet aspiring to emotional sincerity. At its heart is Joy (Shannon Thornton), a New York fashion designer whose creativity is overshadowed by her exploitative boss, Pat-Treek, and whose romantic life is stuck in limbo. She follows the tentative Colton to his family’s Colorado estate expecting progress—only to discover he’s engaged and intends to make her his “best woman.” In the chaos of an ensuing snowstorm, she flees, crashes through ice, and is rescued by Ridge (Tosin Morohunfola), the rugged hermit living off-grid whom she grudgingly shares a cabin with. What follows is an improbable intimacy, confessions of grief and failure, and the promise of transformation toward self-worth and real love.
The film’s concept isn’t without charm: a disillusioned woman with talent but stuck in the background, an accidental physical crisis in a remote winter landscape, an opposites-attract partner in Ridge. There is potential in that set-up. Thornton brings warmth and vulnerability to Joy: her frustration at being overshadowed, her longing for commitment, and her unease in the wild all register. Morohunfola plays Ridge as taciturn and world-weary, yet there are tender hints of healing that emerge when he opens up. Their chemistry is cited as one of the film’s few assets. The locale—snow, cabin, isolation—offers a backdrop that, in better hands, might have lent the movie a cozy magic. Instead, though, the surroundings often feel under-lit, under-designed, and lacking in detail—one critic observes exterior shots that “look sprung to life from PS2-era computer graphics.”
Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t fulfill the promise. From the outset the narrative invites clichés: the show-fashion designer stolen-from by her boss, the awkward “will-he-or-won’t-he” fake relationship, the grand gesture of the isolated cabin. These story beats are so familiar that unless new textures or surprising twists are introduced, the film risks slipping into autopilot. Critiques bear that out: as one review states, “It isn’t about anything. It doesn’t have a point of view.” Indeed, the pacing drags; long stretches of dialogue between Joy and Ridge feel inert, and the comic relief with her friends back in New York is perfunctory. The film glides over deeper emotional stakes and backstories rather than fully inhabiting them.
On structure, the film follows a traditional three-act arc. Act one introduces Joy’s dissatisfaction and sets up the trip to Colorado; act two precipitates the “crash through the ice” moment and the forced co-habitation; act three leads to confessions, reconciliations, job redemptions, and romantic resolution. But critics argue the transitions feel mechanical rather than organic. For example: Joy’s decision to leave Colton’s family home mid-storm, driving into danger, is a contrivance designed to engineer the cabin scenario rather than arising from character. And once in the cabin, Ridge and Joy’s emotional journey is swiftly arranged rather than deeply earned. The film spends time on physical proximity but less on emotional transformation, which makes it harder to believe the bond that forms.
Thematically, the film gestures toward issues of self-worth, creative recognition, grief, and the courage to love again. Joy’s unacknowledged designs stolen by Pat-Treek open a discussion about artistic credit and racial dynamics in fashion. Ridge’s solitary life stems from grief: his mother died just before Christmas and his father remarried quickly, which drove him into isolation. These are promising threads. However, because they are treated lightly and unequally, they feel like accessories rather than integral arcs. Ridge repairing his mother’s quilt and connecting to Joy because her name matches that of his mother—is arguably sentimental in the extreme. joy’s career redemption—being promoted and given credit—is resolved in a flurry at the very end with little buildup. As such, the thematic weight is present but doesn’t land deeply.
Visually and technically the film shows signs of under-investment. As noted, the snowy exterior shots are criticized as “PS2-era” and the production overall feels cheap in places. Where holiday rom-coms might lean into rich textures—glittering snow, warm glowing interiors, festive details—Finding Joy uses the “holiday” label mainly as a backdrop rather than a mood turned up. The Colorado setting is more functional than atmospheric. The editing is described as sluggish, and the tonal balance between comedy and earnestness isn’t smooth: when the film attempts humour, it seldom lands; when it seeks emotional depth, it seldom resonates. From one critical stance: “Too much of this movie is left to languish in reality, and reality is something that Perry isn’t very good at simulating.”
On performances, Shannon Thornton stands out as a solid central presence. Her portrayal of Joy is credible in the scenes of hurt and hope. The friend characters—Ashley (Brittany S. Hall) and Littia (Inayah)—provide some levity and grounding, and critics single out Inayah as delivering the only moment of energetic lift in the film. Morohunfola’s Ridge is acceptable, but his character is under-written: he has less to say and fewer arcs than Joy. Some lines feel awkward—the critique mentions a scene where he tells Joy “We both had a lot of hooch…” as though belatedly shifting between comedy and genre expectations. The supporting cast serve their functions but rarely break out of type. The writing doesn’t give them much room to surprise.
Interestingly, there is a divide in critical reception. While some reviews are sharply negative—, calling it “one of his most by-the-numbers and charmless” works.
Others note a somewhat more positive undertone; the Rotten Tomatoes page reports that some reviewers found it “emotionally quite satisfying” despite its limitations. This suggests that viewers more invested in the warm-fuzzy seasonal romance might find something to like, whereas those looking for sharp scripting or cinematic polish will be disappointed.
One of the film’s larger concerns is that it feels derivative. The beat of “city woman goes to rural cabin, meets brooding man, learns about life and love” is a staple, especially in holiday-rom-coms. The twist of the designer losing her credit and falling through ice is more surface drama than structural innovation. Because the film doesn’t stretch its concept far, it ends up falling into many expected tropes—meeting in a snowstorm, bonding over shared trauma, grand gesture, final reconciliation. While the familiarity can comfort, it also limits surprise. Critics argue that the familiarity isn’t elevated by particularly distinctive voice or cinematic flourish, leaving the result flat.
For a holiday film released on streaming—Amazon Prime Video in this case (released Nov 5 2025)
audience expectations often skew toward escapism, cozy vibes, light-romance, and a happy ending. In that sense, Finding Joy delivers minimally: it ends with Joy and Ridge together, with Ridge having reconciled with his family and Joy returning to fulfil her career promise. If one watches without raising the bar too high, one might enjoy the soft sentiments and the holiday-time setting. But if one expects sharper humour, deeper character work or cinematic ambition, the film underdelivers.
In assessing where this film falls within writer-director Tyler Perry’s oeuvre: Perry remains prolific, especially releasing multiple titles via streaming in a given year. One critic notes that his “quantity-over-quality” approach is evident here. That said, even within Perry’s filmography this stands out as one of his weaker efforts—not for overt incompetence, but for an unremarked flatness. The visual liveliness, pacing, and comedic flair that sometimes salvage his work are muted here. The film seems to aim for sincerity rather than slapstick or melodrama, but doesn’t fully succeed in the middle ground.
Ultimately, Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy is a serviceable holiday-romance—not terrible, but not memorable either. It offers a likable lead performance, clear intentions, and a reassuring happy ending. But its flaws—predictability, under-realised themes, visual and tonal complacency—make it forgettable in the crowded field of streaming rom-coms. For viewers who simply want a cozy film to flick on during the season and don’t require much from its storytelling, it could work. But for anyone hoping for something special or innovative, the film is unlikely to fulfill that hope.
If I were to assign a verdict: it earns points for its heart and for trying to centre a Black woman’s career, grief and love in a holiday context (which is not always common). But it loses points for its lack of urgency, novelty and depth. If you love the genre and are a fan of Perry or Thornton, there’s modest enjoyment to be found. But for anyone seeking a standout holiday film of 2025, you might look elsewhere.
