Wait, Mr. DeMille's dead.
But The Joker still wants his close-up!
Forget a close-up! How about a movie!
Yay!
Yay?!
Batman's number one enemy now has a movie of his own. Joker tells an origin story spun by director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver. It's a movie with conflicting emotions. Let's find out why.
The future Clown Prince of Crime is Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). In 1981, Arthur lives with his mother, Penny (Frances Conroy), in bleak Gotham City. He's a rent-a-clown by day and aspiring stand-up comic by night. Unfortunately, he's often the only one who laughs at his jokes, which is exasperated by his Pseudobulbar Affect. Gotham citizens think he's either a creeper or easy pickings. A fellow clown loans Arthur his gun. He loses his job when he's caught with the gun.
Arthur, in full clown attire, is harassed on the way home by three yuppies. He shoots them dead. This inspires the disaffected populace to rise up and take on the rich. In the midst of it, Arthur learns about his mother's connection to billionaire Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). It leads to a string of heartbreak and mayhem for Arthur which culminates in a guest spot with his favorite talk show host, Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro).
The film's opening scene sets up Arthur's life perfectly. Clown struggles to put on a happy face, Clown enjoys himself on the job, Clown gets jumped by hoodlums. Simple as that. The rest of these 122 minutes gives neither Arthur nor the audience little levity. Some comedy exists, but you'll notice the tragedy and violence even more. Penny Fleck's connection to Thomas Wayne leads to a shocking revelation, which is quickly debunked ... sort of. Penny also has more secrets to share. Arthur's attraction to neighbor Sophie Drummond (Zazie Beetz) turns sour. Let's just say this Gotham City needed a Batman yesterday.
Now for the star of the show. We first empathize with Arthur and dread the inevitable outcome. We want him to succeed in life, but not in the way that he does. His laughing fits are emotionally devastating given his condition, but they become easier when he embraces his persona. After that, he's happy even when we're not. Joaquin Phoenix's performance never loses the audience's attention. I don't think, and hope not, he intended to keep their sympathy for very long.
Now we go for the technicals. The first point goes to costume designer Mark Bridges for designing Arthur's memorable clown attires. His climactic Joker suit looks like an alluring comic book extract. Many points go to the Makeup and Hair departments headed by Nicki Fuderman and Kay Georgiou. They deserve recognition for Arthur's normal disheveled look, his clown makeups and the violent damage they're put through. Production designer Mark Friedberg and cinematographer Lawrence Sher deserve points for visualizing Gotham City at its bleakest. Finally, there's also editor Jeff Groth and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir for sustaining the dread. Take a bow.
Joker is not an easy matinee to sit through. Arthur's miserable existence is depressing and the film's violence is shocking. Some might say that it's also empty headed nonsense. But at least it raises concerns that some people need to listen to. How it raises its concerns makes it captivating to listen to. You'll find a method to the madness if you see it. Look elsewhere if you want a happier film.
Where are the happy films?
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