If your looking for a wholesome, touching Hallmark movie the whole family would enjoy, then don’t see the new Joker movie. It’s been over ten years since the Dark Knight introduced a darker version of the original character. Well, darker than Jack Nicholson’s interpretation in the 1989 Batman movie and certainly way more sinister than the character in the original 1960’s Batman TV series. And after Jared Leto’s take on the classic villain wasn’t nearly as well received as Heath Ledger’s academy award winning performance, that’s all in the past now. Now, the incomparable Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of his career and takes the character in a new direction. But does it pay off? your about to find out.
Laughter is something that I never imagined could be a disorder. In the new movie Joker, Joaquin Phoenix plays a mental ill man named Arthur Fleck who works in Gotham as a clown waving around a big sign to advertise local businesses and such. He has a condition where he has uncontrollable laughter and even carries on him a card that says to excuse his laugher, because it’s a mental illness and he can’t control it when it happens. He lives with his mother whom he takes care of because she is sick, and she calls him Happy for his wonderful smile. He is on multiple medications and often goes to see a therapist, so overall, he doesn’t have a very fulfilling life. Also, he often gets delusional per why he takes some of the meds that he does.
He has fantasies in his head about going on TV and performing standup comedy on his favorite late-night talk show and having a girlfriend who lives in the same apartment complex as him. So basically, Joker is a phycologists dream. And throughout the film, his delusions and fantasies get him into trouble, not on purpose of course because of his mental illness, but in the first instance where he kills three bankers on a subway who I must admit were real assclowns, you start to see the man Arthur Fleck slowly shift and become the psychotic Batman villain Joker that we all know. Although, it wasn’t entirely clear that some of the stuff the bankers were doing like harassing a young woman on the subway or that weird singing number were all in his head or not. Ok, I’m pretty sure the singing part was, as Joker fancies himself an entertainer.
In any case, when watching the film, I see the progression of Joker becoming angry with his situation and a corrupt society, and many other things in his life. He kills some more people because they weren’t nice to him, he’s not sure if his mom is really his mom or if she had a one-night stand with the mayor of Gotham, of course I won’t divulge that here. But one thing is for sure, the Joker has a lot of problems, some in his head, the rest in reality. The film is done almost like a dark hero flick where the main protagonist is bullied in his youth and rises up to overcome adversity. It’s like your rooting for Joker in the same way you would root for Batman, the Punisher, or any other of the anti-hero type comic book characters.
To sum up the Joker film, I would say that Joaquin Phoenix delivers a great performance that will probably net him the best actor Oscar. However, true fans of the Joker in the Dark Knight or in the comics may not be so thrilled about his interpretation of the character. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the film, yet the whole feel of the film was more, slowed paced and emotionally dark than what a typical DC movie has ever been. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, yet I think true fans may be a put off is all I’m saying. I enjoyed director Toad Phillips unique take on the comic book film and will definitely need to watch the whole movie again to catch certain Joker mental moments that I may have missed. With that said, all you clowns out there now have an excuse to dress up as your favorite character this Halloween. Just no violence in the movie theaters please, remember, it’s just a movie you guys, just enjoy it.
Nerdish Rating: 4 out of 5
I’m Corey, and this is my story so far.
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