The BBQ Nerd’s Obligatory Joker Review

NON SPOILER SECTION!

Ever since the rumors of a Joker origin film began, I admit- I was skeptical. Putting a definitive background story for a character seeped in ambiguity seemed like a bad idea. Things became even more confusing when it became clear that this movie would take place outside of the DCEU, leaving the whole shared universe in a very uncertain place that it honestly still occupies. It was clear that Warner Bros wanted to produce films outside of their inconsistent franchise, and while that wasn’t necessarily the wrong call, it can be seen as a direct indictment on the quality of films like Suicide Squad and Justice League.

Joaquin Phoenix was announced as the titular character, with Todd Phillips (director of the Hangover films) helming the project. Then the festival premiere hit and the whole world lost their goddamn minds. Standing ovations, Oscar talk, and warnings of real life violent instances taking place in theaters abounded. The first influx of reviews were filled with 10/10 ratings (like the review from IGN), with a few outliers. One consistent aspect singled out for acclaim- the performance of Phoenix as the Joker.

The second bout of reviews were far less kind overall, and fans (most of whom hadn’t seen the film yet) cried foul as the Rotten Tomatoes score started to take shape. Once again, the narrative seemed to take shape- those silly critics had a bias against DC films (a truly nonsensical theory when one just looks at the evidence, like the acclaim Wonder Woman, Shazam, and the Dark Knight films have received).  However, in addition to the usual finger pointing, there was an added dimension of politics infused in the discussion of Joker. Controversy abounded regarding the so-called promotion of incels and their ideology, along with the glorification of violence in film. Folks also objected to the sympathetic approach to the Joker (in the comics, often portrayed as an unrepentant killer), while others were more concerned with further stigmatizing the mentally ill.

Honestly, these controversies were more interesting than anything the film itself presented. As a horror fan, glorification of violence and sympathetic killers (along with problematic portrayals of mental illness) just kind of come with the territory. The most interesting part about these concerns is that they came from both sides of the political spectrum- conservatives who are concerned with violence in media, and liberals who see the portrayal of gun violence as problematic found themselves in joint opposition to the film. One of the more famous liberals, Michael Moore, gave the film a glowing review, seeing the movie as an affirmation of HIS politics. Breitbart, one of the most prominent conservative sources, gave the film a glowing review, seeing the film as an affirmation of THEIR politics. Trying to put detractors in a single ideological box is an impossible task.

For my part, I thought the movie was more or less okay. It was well directed, and the color palette was an interesting choice to say the least. Making the story a period piece for a more troubling economic time makes sense given the story being told. But really this film is held together by Phoenix’s performance. If there was ever a film that exemplified a one-man show, it’s Joker. I’m not sure if it deserves an Oscar, but it should definitely be in the conversation.

Phoenix’s laugh is probably the most memorable part of his character, and it comes across like a true compulsion, one that escapes him despite any and all attempts to control it. Moreover his character, Arthur, feels like he is truly out of place in this world. He has mental issues, and a desire to be SEEN. If there was a single motivating factor for Joker here it is that he simply wants to be noticed by the cruel world that has done so much damage to him. And when Arthur becomes more and more dangerous, you can really feel some of the tension build. Sure Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy are in this film too, but other than Conroy, the supporting cast really fails to make an impact.

And yet, a great performance doesn’t necessarily make a great movie. And here is where the rest of the film falls apart a bit. The story is muddled, sloppy, and repetitive. More sinfully- it’s cliche and by-the-numbers. Bad thing happens to Arthur, he reacts, rinse and repeat. As a narrative, it builds towards a truly predictable climax that offers no real surprises. And lastly, this is a movie without much to say.

For all of the talk about the bold themes in this film, Phillips doesn’t really seem concerned with any of it. He just (perhaps wisely) trains his camera on Phoenix enduring hardships. In fact, about 99% of this film has Phoenix in frame, and the other 1% is still mostly what he’s seeing. I won’t go into too much detail here, since that would be spoilery, but honestly if you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve seen the story. Eventually Arthur snaps of course, and when he does, ideally you want the audience to feel something. And for me, I just didn’t.

This film absolutely presents Joker in a sympathetic light. It owns that unabashedly. And when you present your protagonist that way, a turn to darkness can be a tragedy (or comedy, see aren’t I clever!) or maybe even wish fulfillment if your character is an anti-hero like The Punisher. I didn’t necessarily cheer or lament Arthur’s descent into madness (or is it sanity? see I’m really clever!!).

Also worth noting- this doesn’t really feel like the Joker. This feels like another script about a guy with mental illness slipping into violence that was reworked into a Joker script by adding Gotham City and clowns. On one hand, that might make the character a little LESS predictable, and maybe a bit more tragic since the Joker is a beloved pop culture icon. On the other, there is just simply no way this movie would have generated this kind of buzz without the Joker name.

Overall I would recommend seeing it at least once, but it’s not a film that you have to watch in theaters. It’s not a particularly great film, but it has a great performance and is an outlier in the genre. But don’t go into this film expecting a big, profound message. If anything, Joker is a blank slate, a Rorschach test. Everyone ranging from the most lefty liberal documentarian to the hardened alt-right journalist can watch this film and infer their worldview in the gaps. That is fascinating to me, but it’s indicative of the biggest issue with Joker- The most interesting parts about it just aren’t on the screen.

SCORE- 6.5/10

SPOILER SECTION BELOW!

Let me list my biggest problems-

1. The “romance” between Zazie Beetz’s character and Arthur is all in Arthur’s head. This was something that I called back when I saw the trailer (although I actually went further and didn’t think she was going to be real at all). This is not only predictable as all get out, she really doesn’t have a character in the film. Of the supporting cast, she has the least to do, and just laughs at Arthur’s jokes and comforts him until the “reveal” happens.

2. Someone needs to tell DC that we don’t need to see Batman’s parents die with every reboot of the universe. Seeing it tacked on in here added nothing to the story, and just felt like an addition to remind folks that this was a comic movie.

3. The whole “Thomas Wayne might be Arthur’s father” added an interesting wrinkle to the overall “is this real” game of the movie. However, reading Phillips comment that it’s part of Joker’s motivation to hate Batman really illustrates how badly the script misunderstands the character. It’s such a petty motivation that seems quite frankly simplistic and lazy.

4. For all of the talk of how uncomfortable this movie was to watch, particularly regarding the violence, what we got was just some gun shots and a stabbing. Again, maybe it’s the horror fan in me, but that just doesn’t really shock me. It can leave you deflated realizing that this was THE chance to really make a truly hideous Joker that even the audience can’t like. I rarely would ever say “this film would be better with more violence.” But when you build towards a violent climax, piling on the tension, it just feels anti-climactic when it just ends with Joker shooting De Niro’s mean talk show host in the head.

5. Every victim of the Joker in this film is set up to deserve their fate. Three rich dudes beat up Arthur, a clown figuratively throws Arthur under the bus at work, Arthur’s mother lies to him and “allowed him” to be abused, and De Niro’s character ridicules Arthur’s stand-up. This really sets up Arthur like an anti-hero not unlike the Punisher, albeit with a MUCH lower bar for “crime.” It really doesn’t sell the Joker as a villain thriving in chaos or just doing things he wants. Instead this Joker is a vengeful presence for every perceived wrong in Arthur’s life.

6. Although the performance is fantastic, Joker here doesn’t feel particularly smart or charismatic. This would make sense, given the possibility that he might be imagining the following his killings inspire. But because this film is called Joker, you would expect these basic qualities would be present in this iteration His final speech in particular, when I thought we were FINALLY gonna get the Joker just came off as trite and awkward, not the kind of thing that inspires madness as much as cringe.

7. There’s dwarf jokes..that’s all I really have to say… just.. dwarf jokes man…

As I mentioned before, the story is repetitive. Arthur begins the story getting beat up by teenagers, gets fired, gets beat up again, this time rich dudes, is humiliated by De Niro’s character on TV, and gets punched by Thomas Wayne, It repeats beats and moments with varying impact on Arthur’s character. After the first beating, Arthur is defensive of his attackers because of their age, then he kills his next assailants. But that doesn’t quite drive him over the edge. And that’s what this movie is- it’s seeing something awful happen to Arthur and wondering “oh okay does THIS make him the Joker?” Every time you think the character has evolved, you are treated to another scene that indicates that nothing substantial has happened to Arthur’s arc.

Now that’s a lot of negative stuff, but Phoenix’s performance really tries to elevate parts of the film above these criticisms, mostly to success. Whether it’s trying to stifle his compulsive laughter, slipping in and out of accents during his big finale, or giving it all in the film’s surprising number of dance scenes, Phoenix throws himself into the role, and gives the audience a few memorable scenes in an otherwise forgettable.

Joker is a movie with some truly cool moments and watching Phoenix carry an entire film on his shoulders is pretty entertaining. However, for all of the controversy the film has inspired, you would expect a groundbreakingly great film or maybe even a notoriously bad one. But in the end, Joker is just okay.

And THAT’S okay too.