Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert DeNiro, and Zazie Beetz
Ever since his initial creation, the origin story of Batman's arch-nemesis, The Joker, has been in a sense a mystery. Over the course of the character's history, writers of both comics and screenplays have given him a multitude of different backstories. In the great graphic novel The Killing Joke, The Joker says in regards to his past, "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another…if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" Even in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's version of the character tells it a few different ways.
This is a long way of saying that while Todd Phillips' Joker isn't necessarily the definitive origin story of The Clown Prince of Crime, I did find it the most chilling, gripping, and arguably the most realistic.
Clown-for-hire Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) has dreams of being a stand-up comedian, but has a lot…everything working against him. He's a loner who's ostracized at his job, constantly tending to his elderly mother (Frances Conroy) in a rundown apartment, in therapy and suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to laugh uncontrollably at all the wrong times. Oh and he's "just not that funny."
As Arthur's luck goes from bad to worse, from being fired to learning the truth of his parentage, he goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole from which he'll emerge transformed, as a psychotic criminal the world will come to know as Joker.
There's a lot of layers to the story that takes it beyond a typical comic book film, but calling it a comic book film seems wrong. Yes the protagonist is called Joker, there's a family called The Wayne's, and it takes place in a city called Gotham, but those details come secondary. This is a character study akin to early Martin Scorsese films that has Batman elements peppered in for extra flavor. The film comments on a lot of heavy issues, like mental illness, social class, identity, moral obligation, and the very subjectivity of comedy? (I mean that's my interpretation). That's a lot to unpack in a two-hour film, and I'm not saying the script lacks focus, but it is jumping through a lot of hoops at once. It's a heavy ingest.
It's kind of amazing to see these issues illustrated through comic book characters. Ironically, by doing so it makes them more real, tangible, in a way. Conversely, this is arguably the first time it feels like The Joker could exist in the real world. He's doesn't fall into a vat of chemicals and come out a psychotic lunatic. Here he is a monster of our creation. All the hot-button issues the film tackles are very relevant to the world right now and tied to his story. Not to get into spoilers but when you watch the film, and you have that realization, it's kinda unsettling...
Joaquin Phoenix does deserve an Oscar nomination. He is carrying the entire film on his shoulders. What he does equals Heath Ledger's work in The Dark Knight. He makes you sympathize for this character, while also being scared of him. Phoenix keeps you on the edge of your seat for the majority of the film. This was the first time in a while I felt significantly uncomfortable in the theater, not knowing where character was going (I mean I was uncomfortable in Endgame, but that's like a different type of discomfort…I thought Captain America was gonna die.). Phoenix's take on The Joker stands out in an already iconic catalog of portrayals of the character.
Phoenix is surrounded by a superb supporting cast. Robert DeNiro is perfect as late-night host Murray Franklin. It's not a huge role but DeNiro gives it his all. Zazie Beetz plays Arthur's neighbor Sophie with plenty of heart and humor, as if she's almost a beacon of hope in his life. Frances Conroy plays his mother Penny, and she plays off Phoenix well. She's sweet but like her on-screen son, there's an edge to her.
The film is beautifully shot. There's a lot of memorable camera angles and movements that feel like panels from a graphic novel, but also work to emphasize the bleak hopelessness of this world Todd Phillips has crafted. The music by Hildur Guðnadóttir (That was a copy-and-paste job. No way I could have spelled that. Sorry Hildur.) is amazing. It's never in your face, but it sticks with you. The music is almost haunting, and truly conveys the grim nature of the scene(s).
The old saying goes that evil isn't born, it's made. Joker is a cautionary tale about the role we play in potentially making villains like this (and I do mean this version. Not the ones with exploding cream pies and poisonous laughing gas). It's another fine addition to the colorful history of the character.
It services the source material while also creating something rooted in realism. It's dark, gut-wrenching, and impactful to a point where it stays with you long after leaving the theater. No funny business.
