Joker Review

     A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, and Natural Born Killers. All classic yet controversial films. Joker attempts to be the next critically-acclaimed, controversial film. The press tour has been nothing short of a disaster, from Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre fake clip from behind the scenes to director Todd Phillips's consistently poor interviews. Despite all this, the film won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Early reviews had summarized the film as a dark take on the comic-book character, with a disturbing yet dazzling performance from Joaquin Phoenix. I walked into the theater with heightened sense of anticipation. This may have been brought on by signs banning costumes and an increased police presence in all theaters. After of all the expectations I had set, Joker was very...underwhelming.

     The previously mentioned films are all contentious due to their graphic depictions of violence and the mentally ill.  However, all of those films were made by master filmmakers who could weave in a nuanced understanding of irony and satire to a story so that it delivers a clear message properly. Todd Phillips is just not that smart. Why they entrusted the director of three Hangover movies to craft such a delicate tale is beyond me. It feels like Phillips watched Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, and Network, just to attempt to replicate their best scenes. The only problem is how sloppily it is done, creating an inbred, bastardized offspring of all three films. Joker is the most irresponsible film I have seen in some time. The film operates as a filmed, glorified manifesto for those who take their anger out on the world with senseless violence.  The mentally ill are already grossly stigmatized, and this insultingly furthers that stigma with a major motion picture studio backing it. If you replace Arthur Fleck with any mass shooters in America, suddenly the film is far less amusing.

     Never in this film did I feel a characterization of the classic antagonist of Batman fame. Joker felt so disconnected from anything Batman, sans brief depictions of the Wayne Family, Arkham Asylum, and Gotham City. This is not to detract from Phoenix's performance, for he proves again that he is one of the most talented actors of an entire generation. It is to say that the entire film feels less of a comic book film, but rather a high-budgeted fan-fiction done by a wannabe auteur has no understanding of his source material. Joker felt as if it were setting up a real Joker, as Fleck was just an inspiration for the real character that I kept waiting to appear.

     Part of the Joker's appeal is his role as the perfect foil of Batman. The Joker is a humorous sociopath, which clashes well with Batman's grim manner and emotional gravitas. Part of understanding the Joker's chaotic existence is knowing that he is still in the wrong, and the reader must cheer for Batman's ethical fortitude. This is essential for all great good an evil battles, especially in comics. We would hate Thanos without The Avengers attempting to stop him. Ozymandias would be seen as utterly sinister without the other Watchmen going against him. Without a superhero as a moral compass in the film, the story of Joker felt completely misguided.

     The worst part about Phillip's Joker is the fact that the contrived film assumes you as the viewer are an idiot. This is made evident by unintelligent plot twists and overly blatant references. There are so many songs about smiling, laughing and clowns, that it almost feels as if the movie itself is suggesting I don't understand the Joker is about a clown. Yes, we get it, we're supposed to laugh at an overly grim film that fails to capture an essence of a beloved villain.

     Besides Phoenix's performance and outstanding cinematography, I found Joker the most disappointing film I have seen this year. I hope Todd Phillips never attempts to make a serious film again and goes back to what he does best: making D+ comedies for imbeciles. I sure hope that no violence or inspiration comes from a truly poorly made film, as it would just make too much sense.

Grade (5/10)