Joker - Review Thread

I thought the depiction of Thomas Wayne was one of the most interesting, and realistic, elements of the movie.

It's easy to convince your kids that you're someone you're not when they're that young and impressionable.

I think this is good, more so for the second half. I think the story is a bit derivative, which if you have been following production and know what this movie inspires to be cinematically, then this is isn't necessarily surprising. The dialogue isn't that great, and a lot of the story beats and characters are there for just obvious set-up, and not much more. The movie ultimately, though, is all about Phoenix and what he can do.

But despite this, the story picks up steam with about an hour or so left. Aside from notable cgi background shots, it's beautifully shot and has a generally effective score. And of course you have Joaquin, who despite some clunky story and dialogue does enough to rise above and give a great performance.

It is a movie that at the same time can make you appreciate Joaquin's take on Joker as well as the one's that come before, most notably Heath and Jack. Each actor brings their own unique strengths to this role, and they each leave their own mark. Jack is Jack, and with Heath there was such an deliberate sense of mystery, but maybe the most effortless portrayal as the Clown Prince. His still has a bit of a fun element to it. It's less so with Joaquin. This also isn't necessarily a criticism, more of an observation one can't help but make.

I already alluded to the film's inspirations before (Scorsese, Scorsese and more Scorsese), but I think a lot of the movie, specifically Joaquin's performance, draws some of it's inspiration from some of Phoenix's own past performances, most notable last year's You Were Never Really Here. If you look at his career, especially in the last 12-15 years, more times than not, the guy has a knack for playing isolated loners, and he is extremely effective at it. I think the movie purposefully borrows those traits to create a good enough character for Joaquin to play.

This isn't the first time he's played someone who lives in New York, lives with his parent/parents (depending on the movie) and is a loner. If anything, for the first half of the movie, I was distracted with the fact that I've seen him play these types before, but better.

For all of the strength's that you had in Jack and Heath, Joaquin just has his own ability to inhabit this character that in a way, Jack and Heath weren't capable of doing. On one hand, it is good to see a big studio take a risk on comic book property. At the same time, it's a bit disheartening it had to be a famous comic book character for WB to make this movie. 

Lastly, the media outrage. If anything, I don't think the film is as violent as some would think and I don't think it's going to inspire any more chaos that doesn't already exist. It's stupid blaming some of the problems in society with a movie like this. However, I do think the message of this movie, which I guess is on mental health and the health care system in general is a bit muddled. Could have been more effective. 

Overall, solid flick and a very good performance from Mr. Phoenix.

7/10

Realistic if your parent is a shitty egomaniac, perhaps.

Since Thomas Wayne has always been depicted as a being pure of heart philanthropist, It's not realistic from a DC canon point of view, but I'll concede that they have the right to make chose Thomas a dick in this movie since it bastardized canon material, and say that I didn't like that change in his character. I felt using him as a tool for Joker's motivation was a weak choice, and it undermines Bruce's motivation for becoming Batman - he took up the mantle because his parents were truly do-gooders who spent their entire lives trying to make the city better. Their wealth was always used to improve Gotham and build it into a better place. Turning Thomas into a douchebag makes it seem like Bruce's pure motivation is going to be pure revenge because his dad was killed, and that was never the full motivation behind his vigilanteism. 

Assuming everything we've ever been told about Thomas Wayne is a skewed viewpoint from Bruce's perspective isn't a strong point, regardless.

You've been watching too much Succession. 

I just got done with season 1, and the finale was baller!

"Put back my fucking wine." Best moment of the episode.

Season 2 is even better, it really embraces the show's satirical side.

That was the best sketch of the episode.

For the first time in the history of ever, Dracula and PG Cooper disagree on a movie. Y’all are finally ready for PBS.

While Mr. Cooper is a real human being and a real hero, this is not the first time I've disagreed with him about something.

We’re aware that PG Cooper is a hardcore right-wing moose hunting conservative. We try not to dwell on it.

Have had a lot of people try to change my mind on this movie, but the more I discuss it with them the more I stand pat on my views that this is a derivative film with little to offer outside of Phoenix's performance. There's no morality blurred here to debate. Literally every action Joker takes is a selfish one, an act of revenge. He doesn't see things in a twisted or convoluted way, he's just in one contrived scenario after another getting revenge on the people we know he will get even with. I'm waiting for a deleted scene where he finds the teenagers from the beginning and gets them too.

Travis Bickle believes he's a heroic figure because we can debate whether or not him walking into an apartment and murdering a bunch of pimps is good or bad, but we understand why he does this because it fits into his world view that the pimps represent the scourge of America he's trying to purge society from.

Joker has and does none of this. It's just one relentlessly mean person who wrongs him ultimately getting their due. That's not interesting. That's not saying anything. That's easy writing drubbing up simplistic empathy for Arthur. And therein again lies the biggest problem with the film that the supporting characters have one trait, being shitty, and thus there's nothing that stems from their demises other than "well yeah they deserve that because they did that thing to Arthur earlier."