Joker, based on the character from DC comics, is a psychological thriller directed and co-written by Todd Phillips. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character, aka Arthur Fleck, alongside Brett Cullen, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy and Robert De Niro. The film has become rather notable for a couple of reasons, for starters receiving numerous awards at the Venice Film Festival. Secondly, for the way it portrays mental illness and violence in a realistic setting. And finally for the numerous concerns that have been raised that it might inspire real life violence and wishing to avoid another Aurora Theater Shooting.
My own opinion? Well…I don’t really want to call this movie boring. But it sure isn’t far from it.
Don’t get me wrong, this movie is competently made and Joaquin Phoenix certainly has the makings to play a psychotic murderer, but that’s really all the movie has going for it. Since it’s not part of the DCEU (the film itself seems to be set in the late 70’s) it doesn’t have the connectivity to a larger universe, and while the connection to the Batman mythos is important to the overall story it takes place before Bruce dons the cowl and therefore misses out on the two character’s famous interactions. It doesn’t really work as psychological thriller because all the thriller parts can be seen coming from a mile away and it’s not really a societal upheaval story because that element is in the background for most of the film. Overall, it doesn’t quite work as either a comic book movie, as societal breakdown picture or as a thriller film.
But the biggest problem for me is that Joaquin Phoenix just isn’t funny in his role as the Joker.
This one thing that I feel is integral to the character of the Joker is that he should be in some way funny. Cesar Romero was just as goofy and campy as the 60’s show he was in, Jack Nicholson gave some gruesome yet amusing practical jokes, Mark Hamill could throw out dark one-liners with incredible wit and menace and even Heath Ledger, possibly the darkest of the lot could still make a joke hear and there. Basically, the character should be like a living version of Cards Against Humanity, you’ll laugh even though the material says you shouldn’t.
But with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, a mentally unbalanced man who’s being crushed under the weight of an uncaring society, well he’s just not funny. And while that is the point within the story as him realizing that is one of the factors that sends him down the slippery slope, I kept expecting him to finally grow a funny bone once he embraced his murderous Joker persona but he never really did. Sure Joaquin suddenly breaking out into interpretive dance after committing his first murder sounds funny on paper, but in practice, well. Instead of calling this movie Joker, you could call it Joaquin Phoenix acts weird for two hours.
The rest of the cast is fine but mostly there to prop Joaquin, it’s ironic that Robert De Niro should have such an important role in the film considering it feels more like an art house version of Taxi Driver than a Joker film. Anyway, this is the kind of movie that lives or dies by its lead. And in this case that it neither lives nor dies but kinda shuffles and dances on in an awkward manner. So see it in theaters if you’re interested in what all the hubbub is, or if you’re not just wait for a rental.
Matt the Media Hunter 