Review of Joker, directed by Todd Phillips

For so long, everyone was telling me to watch Joker. I had known about it ever since it was released, but for a hot minute I didn’t find myself compelled to watch it at all. Like I had seen how much love it was getting online and from the people around me, but I wasn’t drawn to it.

I wasn’t someone who grew up on the DC or Marvel movies, and as I grew into my love for film, I couldn’t find those kinds of movies in my heart.

Like kudos to you if you like those kinds of movies, but they’re not my cup of tea. So I never had any interest in seeing Joker because I did not know the lore, nor did I care enough to try and figure it out.

And then one day I was on a Delta flight to California and was in dire need of something to watch. That, my online friends, is how I ended up somehow watching Joker. I kind of just shrugged in the moment and decided to go for it.

Here’s my review!

The rise and fall of the Joker within a crime ridden Gotham City.

Our main character in this movie is Arthur Fleck, who will eventually become the Joker we all know and love today. He works as a professional clown within Gotham City, and it’s the 1980s. We’re in the middle of a major recession, and he still lives with his mother. It doesn’t help that he suffers from a neurological disorder.

Said disorder causes him to burst out laughing in the most odd moments, and he’s on medication. Of course he cannot afford this, so he relies on other people in order to get him the care he needs. One day though, he’s attached by kids on the street, and he’s given a gun.

After this, he starts seeing his neighbor Sophie romantically, and even invites her to see his comedy set. However, when he’s at work one day, performing as the clown at a hospital, his gun is seen and he’s fired. His coworker who gave it to him denies the fact he gave it to Arthur, and when he’s riding home on the subway, he’s mocked by some businessmen.

Arthur finally snaps and shoots two of them dead, and kills another one on the way out. The head of their corporation, Thomas Wayne, condemns this, but people start protesting on the streets, dressing as clowns. Arthur is then cut off from his medication due to budget cuts.

The next big thing is this: Sophie comes to his comedy routine, which doesn’t go well at all. He discovers after this that he is the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne, then he goes to the Wayne manor. He doesn’t find his way inside, but his mother has a stroke, is hospitalized, and a local television host mocks Arthur’s stand up routine.

This is where the name Joker starts to come in, as the host calls him the joker.

Arthur confronts Thomas Wayne, who denies his relation to Arthur. He then realizes through a file that his mother adopted him, and the next day, he kills his mother with a pillow. He also goes to see Sophie, and we learn their relationship was never real—it was a part of his mental illness.

The clips of the comedy routine go viral, and Arthur is invited to the live television show that mocked him. While he initially plans to kill himself on camera, he kills his former coworker, and the cops start coming onto him as they realize he was the one who killed the businessmen.

The show begins. Arthur asks to be introduced as the Joker, and he lets loose when the cameras start rolling. He confesses to everything he’s done, then he shoots the host in the head on air. Riots break out in the city as he’s arrested, and Wayne and his wife are murdered, leaving Bruce behind.

Arthur stands on a car, smearing blood across his face in the classic Joker imagery, and he’s sent to jail.

Overall Thoughts

In some ways, I like this film. The dark, grungy aesthetics and the discussions about mental health and how it’s further worsened by cycles of poverty and oppression are important ones.

Phoenix also gives the performance of a lifetime when he appears in this movie, and go watch his Oscar speech for this role if you haven’t already. He’s really an icon.

But why didn’t I care for this movie in the end? It feels like it needs something more to me. While these discussions are great, showing how a man can descend into what the ruling elite consider evil, I wanted more from it. I can’t put my finger on what I’m trying to say, but I hope you, my dear reader, can understand.

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