The director of The Hangover Trilogy, Old School, Road Trip, War Dogs, Starsky and Hutch, School For Scoundrels, and Due Date brings us....Joker. In all seriousness though, this film is nothing to laugh at.
In Joker, we follow Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a down-trodden, unlucky, and mentally unstable clown-for-hire in the gritty and crime-filled city of Gotham in the late 70s/ early 80's. After Arthur loses his job and is assaulted by a group of young, well-to-do businessmen on the subway, it all proves too much for him. His violent, reactive act of self-defense ignites a series of riots and a class war against the rich. Arthur delves deeper into his own dark history, unraveling hidden truths as his mind continues to slowly unravel, all the while he continues to slowly grow into an icon for the downtrodden in Gotham.
Todd Phillips, up until now, has only dabbled in comedies with mostly middling results, the exceptions being Old School and The Hangover. Watching Joker, it's easy to forget that his claim to fame was making people laugh. He directs the hell out of Joker, and co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver (who previously penned 8 Mile, The Fighter, and The Finest Hours). The script sizzles with an electric, biting energy. The cinematography (by Lawrence Sher) is great. The film looks appropriately ugly, gritty, and beautiful. The score (by Hildur Guonadottir) is subtle and haunting. The real gems behind the scenes though remain Phillips and Silver, who made a film that not only will stick with you long after the credits roll, but amazingly, also has something to say.
Joker is an angry, barbaric yawp (a yawp is a hoarse cry or scream). It's angry at society, how people treat each other, the attitudes of the rich, and the state of the mental health system, among other things. There isn't really any commentary, though. The film just points at all these terrible things and then makes the case for how people's actions/inactions lead directly to Arthur's ultimate devastating/freeing transformation. Aren't those who looked the other way, ignored him, or didn't take his cries for help seriously just as complicit /guilty as those who actively beat the crud out of him? Maybe we all have a role to play in the creation of everyday villains.
The main draw of the film is getting to see a well-known actor put his own spin on the Clown Prince of Crime. Joaquin Phoenix is phenomenal as Arthur Fleck. He starts out as a seriously depressed man who is deeply troubled and hurt by what he sees every day and the current state of his city. He feels helpless, ignored, and invisible...like his life has no meaning or purpose (He even writes in his joke journal "I hope my death makes more cents than my life".). It doesn't help that he is continually shit on by his co-workers, his boss, his psychiatrist, random delinquents, and even his elderly mother. He dreams of being a big-time comedian just like his idol, late night tv host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). Unfortunately, he's just not that good at it. Adding insult to injury is his constant, uncontrolled laughter caused by a mental condition, called Pseudobulbar Affect (naturally, it doesn't make him much of a popular guy, earning disturbed looks by the people around him. Indeed, the backstory of his laughter is one of the more interesting aspects of the film). Phoenix's laughter is equal parts funny, sad, disturbing and unforgettable.
Arthur is a surprisingly sympathetic, likable (to a point), and sad character that we feel for and even root for. It hurts to watch bad event after bad event be inflicted upon him. It's not hard at all to understand why he snaps and chooses to go down his infamous path (though of course we disagree with his choice, and want to see him do some good instead. Arthur inevitably adopts the viewpoint of "It's all fucked, so burn it down".). Joker (The movie) is the opposite of The Killing Joke, it's not one bad day that transforms Arthur into Joker (although Killing Joke is referenced in one blink-and-you'll-miss-it-line), it's a life that has been nothing but a never-ending series of bad days that proves to be Arthur's undoing. Joaquin Phoenix pulls off something incredible here. Just when you thought Ledger was the ultimate version of Joker, another contender steps into the ring. Phoenix's Joker is almost like a more grounded, sad, pathetic but still scary, frightening and disturbing version of Sid Caesar's Joker from the original Batman tv series. Phoenix makes the role his own (and is an impressive dancer, his dance scenes are unforgettable, some of them near the end are even infectious), and his performance is easily on par with Ledger's. He imbues his Joker with a pathos that makes him scarily relate-able. It would be great to see Phoenix return as The Joker in a future Batman film. The man deserves AT LEAST an Oscar nomination for Best Actor (Just like Phillips deserves AT LEAST a Best Director nomination, and the screenplay a best screenplay nomination).
Joker also has a fine supporting cast: Frances Conroy (of American Horror Story fame) is Penny Fleck aka Arthur's mom, Robert De Niro is Murray Franklin, Zazie Beetz (previously seen as Domino in Deadpool 2) plays Sophie Dumond; a young mom who lives down the hall from Arthur; and Brett Cullen is Thomas Wayne (aka Bruce Wayne's dad). While Joker really is a one-man show, the best of the supporting cast are De Niro, Beets, and Cullen. Cullen's Thomas Wayne is not the altruistic bastion of hope for Gotham we have been told he is. Instead, he is a typical rich douche who has little sympathy for those not privileged like he is. De Niro's Murray Franklin is a popular talk-show host turned bully who uses his platform to humiliate, degrade and belittle Arthur/Joker (The talk-show scene near the end between Joker and Murray is easily one of the best scenes in the whole film, and harbors shades of a similar talk-show scene in The Dark Knight Returns). De Niro fits his role perfectly. He is believable as a late night talk show host, and is clearly having fun with his small part. Beetz has little screen-time but makes it work. Her character seems to be the only character who is sympathetic towards Arthur and his plight.
Let's quickly discuss the backlash against the film. It seems some are worried about Joker potentially inspiring mass shootings and violence. After watching the film, that wouldn't appear to be the case. Joker is a film with little action, and some violence here and there (It's more of a pure character study than anything else. If you walked in expecting lots of violence and action, you're going to be disappointed). It's all grounded and feels real, but the film never seems to condone these awful acts. It does appear to revel in the riots and protests, while still acknowledging how devastating and sad they are. More likely than not, those who are lashing out against Joker with these complaints haven't seen the film yet and are going just by what they have seen in the trailers. In short, there is very little to fear.
Joker is a very adult, very gritty, very sad/depressing, and very dark portrait of a man on the edge of sanity. It's complex, thrilling, and is sure to remind most of Taxi Driver and King of Comedy. It's remarkable for never drawing attention to it's late 70s/early 80s setting, but definitely feels like a film made in that era and set in that era. It's also surprisingly funny at times. This is a comic book movie that doesn't feel like a comic book movie (one might even go so far as to say it's NOT a comic book movie). While it's still to early to declare Joker the best movie of the year, it's certainly going to make it onto the list of best films. Joker is a dark tale that is tragic/comic, with plenty of pathos thrown in. With a phenomenal performance from Joaquin Phoenix, a top-notch directing job by Todd Phillips, a fantastic script, and plenty of things to chew on after the credits roll...Joker is undoubtedly a must-see. It also helps that it is definitely a film about and for our age. It deserves all the praise it gets, and it is indeed A MASTERPIECE!
5 STARS
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