2019 | Dir. Todd Phillips | 122 Minutes
"You just ask the same questions every week. 'How's your job?' 'Are you having any negative thoughts?' All I have are negative thoughts."
Todd Phillips' Joker is an engaging, casually nihilistic, performance-driven character study that touches upon themes surrounding mental health and class warfare but ultimately fails to make a coherent statement. Centered on the struggles of a disturbed individual amidst a city on the brink of societal collapse, the picture presents a rather shallow story of a man coming to terms and embracing his madness while unintentionally jump starting a revolution. However, despite lacking depth, the film is presented with an abundance of style, adapted from intellectual property already ingrained in the collective pop culture consciousness, and benefiting immensely from an indisputably masterful performance delivered by its indispensable lead actor.
Though Joker utilizes a handful of characters from DC Comics, it best functions as a stand-alone work, owing more to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver than anything in established comic book canon. For longtime fans of Batman's quintessential nemesis, the story of Arthur Fleck subverts expectations in fascinating ways, often making more interesting narrative choices than obvious ones. The plot twists are inconsistent in quality, but the way the character is portrayed invariably remains faithful to what his iconic comic book counterpart represents: a manifestation of senseless illogical violence and chaos.
Joaquin Phoenix brings to life the troublingly broken clown with terrifying dedication to the role. His gangly, nearly skeletal physical appearance is truly disturbing. His delivery of Fleck's involuntarily fits of laughter is sad and chilling. Phoenix manages to make it easy to empathize with this pitiful man as he transforms into a deranged remorseless murderer.
The film also features standout performances from Frances Conroy as Fleck's delusional mother, Zazie Beetz in a rather thankless role as Fleck's neighbor and object of his affection, Robert De Niro as beloved mean-spirited talk show host Murray Franklin, and Brett Cullen playing a despicable version of the doomed Thomas Wayne. Glenn Fleshler, Leigh Gill, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Brian Tyree Henry, and Marc Maron also appear in minor but memorable parts.
Profoundly upsetting, deeply uncomfortable, but engrossing through and through, Joker is a complete showcase of Joaquin Phoenix's seemingly unlimited talent. His performance is so exceptionally mesmerizing that it may be easy to overlook some of the picture's glaring flaws. While the film offers a grounded, horrifically unhinged, and uniquely captivating take on the classic Batman villain, it doesn't have anything meaningful to say about the societal issues exploited by its narrative.
FRAGMENTS
- Martin Scorcese was initially attached to the picture as a producer but left the project to commit his undivided attention to The Irishman
- Robert De Niro also appears in 2020 Best Picture Nominee The Irishman
- Frances Conroy previously appeared in another film loosely adapted from a Batman villain, 2004's critically panned Catwoman starring Halle Berry
- The scene in which Fleck walks into the refrigerator and closes the door was unscripted, completely improvised by Joaquin Phoenix
- It's rather delightful to see Marc Maron play a crotchety talk show producer
- After countless depictions across seemingly all media, I was hoping against hope that the film would not revisit the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, but the way the sequence is handled honestly works
- After countless depictions across seemingly all media, I was hoping against hope that the film would not revisit the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, but the way the sequence is handled honestly works
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos in Eternals)
