Can you believe that the combination of Todd Phillips, the guy who gave us “The Hangover” Trilogy and Joaquin Phoenix, a character unto himself (“I’m Still Here,” anyone) have crafted the best comic book based film of the year? I mean – it won’t be the highest grossing of the bunch like “Infinity War” and it doesn’t reek of future shared universes like “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” but without doubt, it’s the best of the bunch. And for better or worse, it will be the most critiqued and picked apart long after its theatrical run.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck. A non-remarkable man suffering from a plethora of various mental illnesses who works for a clown company. Eschewing any previous “theories” for the Joker’s origin, the film weaves a truly manic and original spin on the Clown Prince of Crime.
Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant. Gone is the hipster gangster we got to know (briefly) in “Suicide Squad.” Absent is the agent of chaos, hellbent to put a smile on that face in “The Dark Knight.” Phoenix is so frighteningly thin that in some scenes, his spine looks to be coming completely out of his back. He’s got a lot of shirtless scenes and each one makes you squirm at his skeletal frame. He moves with the grace of an unhinged marionette; and for a lot of the film, you really do feel for this down-on-his-luck lost soul who just wants to get his.
A fantastic piece of the characterization of Arthur Fleck is his uncontrollable laugh. It presents itself like Tourette’s Syndrome and it seems to come up over and over at the most inopportune of times. The laugh is a big piece in nailing the Joker. Leto, Ledger, and Nicholson each had their own unique take on it and Phoenix is no exception. His pitch and the heartiness of the laugh change throughout but each variation is solid gold. At times, you honestly cannot distinguish if he is laughing or crying and that ambiguity just adds to the mystique. Where Phoenix is the exception to his Joker brethren is at the core of his being. Arthur Fleck is a haunted, tortured sole of a different variety than his forefathers. If you didn’t ultimately know where this path would lead, your heart would literally break for Arthur at least once during the films first act.
“Joker” wastes no time in driving home the point that Arthur is unstable and Gotham City is in shambles. Both on the verge of catastrophic collapse. Both almost welcoming it. Like madness and gravity, both just in need of a little push to completely come off the rails. This is long before Batman stalked the shadows and restored order to Gotham. The city is ripe for crime and corruption. Thomas Wayne is the representative for the rich and elite and despite his flaccid ambition to become the mayor of Gotham City, the films drops enough hints to make you hate him. The arc between Thomas Wayne and Arthur Fleck is a windy road of delusion, confusion, and a truly unsettling scene, that for my money, brought on more cringes than any of the uber-violent set pieces later in the film.
You don’t get full-fledged Joker until close to the third act and when he arrives, you welcome him with arms wide open. There’s so much exposition put onto Fleck; from his counseling sessions, to various shenanigans as a clown, to caring for his ailing mother and on a handful of dates with his neighbor, Sophie Dumond. The film’s narrative proves as unreliable as its protagonist(?) but that should be expected when it comes to Batman’s arch nemesis. It comes with the territory.
One thing you need to do to enjoy “Joker” is to go in with a blank slate. If you go in there with your mind set to comparing Phoenix to the late, great Heath Ledger, you will be distracted from the nuances of Phoenix’s performance. Heath owns this role; Phoenix and Leto – who will likely go down in history as the George Lazenby of Jokers – merely rent the role. It’s in the transformation from Arthur Fleck to the Joker though that Phoenix absolutely shines. That is what will nab him a ‘Best Actor’ Oscar.
A lot has been made of the violent nature of the film. And just how does anyone benefit from a film that glorifies a sick man who turns into a violent criminal. Don’t get me wrong, there are scenes that will shake you and leave you speechless. Some of Arthur’s actions on his way to becoming the Joker are unbelievably gruesome. But I would argue that each year, a host of action flicks and thrillers and horror movies come out that boast way more blood, way more gore, and dare I say – way more violence. Based on all of the pre-release hype and criticisms, I honestly expected a more violent film.
In an over-saturated market filled with what seems like a comic book movie a month, some of the criticism and over-analyzing comes off a little desperate. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite all its glory, has conditioned us to this Disney-ified “Good Guys Rule Bad Guys Drool” frame of mind. One criticism of the MCU over the years has been its lack of compelling villains. Granted, Thanos was an excellent antagonist but even when you look at “Venom,” the title-character lacked of its print counterpart. The violence is turned down and the humor turned way up. And with stakes so low only “Ant-Man” can find them. Much like the MCU model.
The glorification of violence is a tale as old as time. And when it can, the media will tighten its scope onto something to blame for everything wrong with society. Twenty years ago, Marilyn Manson was blamed for Columbine. In the 1980s, Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest were accused of loading their albums with satanic subliminal messages pushing teens towards murder and suicide. It’s unfair when artists expressions must be force-fed through a filter which society deems acceptable. “Joker”is the flavor of the month and the current poster boy for hysteria. Give it six months and there will be another heir-apparent, responsible for the dehumanization of society. If music or movies or television was really as toxic as they claim, then please explain “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Twenty plus years of ripping stories from the headlines; not creating. And we all know Benson & Stabler have seen some real atrocities throughout the years.
“Joker” roars through its excellent third act in a bloody symphony of anarchy. It’s witty, funny, and shocking as it moves through a series of events that lead to the Joker’s “big break.” Robert De Niro is great as show host Murray Franklin. With this and the upcoming “The Irishman,” De Niro will have his best year on film in a couple decades. He and Phoenix displayed great chemistry and their scene at the climax showed two Hollywood heavyweights really go for it. The scene is as uncomfortable as it is fascinating and one that I suspect will expose additional nuances upon repeated viewings.
For years to come, “Joker” will be looked on as the moment that we transitioned into a post-“Endgame” slate of comic book films and ushered in a new era. It’s not looking to sell toys or hamburgers or launch a franchise. It should be allowed the autonomy to tell the story it wants to tell. The Joker is one of comics greatest characters and this is as good an origin for him as we’ve been presented – on film or in the pages of the comics.
The best Batman-universe film since “The Dark Knight,” it’s far more like “Taxi Driver” or “The King of Comedy” than Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. If you take one thing from “Joker,” take it with a grain of salt. Like all great movies, you’re left with more questions than answers and that’s where the real fun begins. So while you try and make sense out of all the chaos, sit back and put on a happy face.
