Joker

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleschler, Brian Tyree Henry
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) deals with mental instability and a society that overlooks him as he begins a spiral into madness.

Review:

Tim: Joker led the Academy Award nominations with a stellar 11- including Best Picture and Best Director. It won 2. All this to say it was obviously one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year. And I can say, it was really good. Not great. Not spectacular, not one of the best movies of 2019. But yes, it was really good. I do believe that this was one of the more inexplicably overrated movie of the year. I'm a bit flabbergasted how it could have received 11 Academy Award nominations.

Here's the thing about Joker- director Todd Phillips talked about how he made this movie an homage to films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. But he didn't just do that- this films borrows so heavily from those films that it feels completely derivative. This movie recycles those things for its film about Arthur Fleck. It felt like Phillips didn't feel comfortable straying too far from that safety net. For this reason, Joker never feels like it stands on its own. It doesn't have its own voice. I'm not sure what this movie has to say that hasn't been covered in those other films. The movie feels uncomfortably close to The King of Comedy. I kept waiting for Phillips to throw off the shackles and take this movie in a different direction. He doesn't do that. Sure, he deviates from the path in small ways, but it was stunning how closely he followed Martin Scorsese's blueprints. That was the most troubling aspect of the film for me and it's the chief reason why this is not a great movie. Phillips needed to draw inspiration from those movies, not remake them with someone wearing clown makeup. I'm stunned more critics didn't knock this movie for that, which is the film's biggest flaw.

Now, on the positive side, Joaquin Phoenix gives the performance of a lifetime as Arthur Fleck. After Heath Ledger won an Academy Award for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight, it felt like no one would ever get close to his portrayal. It was better than Jack Nicholson's in Batman and Jared Leto embarrassed himself and the character with his awful portrayal in Suicide Squad. So, Phoenix had big shoes to fill. While I still believe Ledger's is the definitive portrayal of the character, you have to stand in awe of what Phoenix accomplishes here. He transformed himself physically for the role and he gives such a careening, unstable performance that you almost can't believe your eyes at times. Phoenix has always been one of the great actors, and that talent was on display here. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in what felt like a runaway. Throughout awards season, no one else felt like they were really in the conversation. That's probably deserving, because Phoenix was so remarkable. He's obviously the biggest reason why I enjoyed this movie so much. He puts on an absolute clinic here, delivering a truly unparalleled performance.

The supporting cast wasn't done any favors by Todd Phillips. Phoenix is amazing, but he sucks up all the oxygen from the movie. I was so excited that Robert De Niro was here (although it added to the perspective that Phillips just ripped those two movies off). De Niro unfortunately has almost nothing to do. He traded places with Jerry Lewis from The King of Comedy, but in that movie, Lewis managed to deliver a strong performance on his own. He got the chance to do that. De Niro makes almost no impact on the film because he's so limited in screen time. I really like Zazie Beetz, but her role involved one of the weaker aspects of the story. Apparently it was (SPOILER ALERT) supposed to be one of the film's biggest twists, but Phillips mishandles this. It felt so obvious where that plot line was going- without even trying, I knew how it would eventually get resolved. It could have been incredible, but Phillips bungled the deliver. So, Beetz ends up feeling lackluster. Brett Cullen manages to do some strong work as Thomas Wayne. Frances Conroy had some uncomfortable but strong moments as Arthur's mom.

I like how this film was a character study first, but it could have used some more momentum. It ultimately feels a little anticlimactic. The ending wasn't as mesmerizing as the crew thinks it was. The scene of Phoenix dancing down the stairs is certainly iconic and will be the most lasting image of the film. It's a terrific sequence, although it feels like it concludes too quickly. Him running from the police wasn't the best way to conclude it.

The film received a bunch of criticism for its perceived glorification of violence. I don't think that's accurate. Sure, the downside of featuring a villain as the protagonist is that to some extent, you tend to root for him. In that case, yes, it's troubling that our "hero" is a psychopathic murderer. However, it's not like this movie is rated PG-13. Those old enough to see R rated movies should be able to separate fiction from reality. I thought it was much ado about nothing.

This review might have been a bit negative, but it's just in reaction to the overwhelming praise this movie received. Joker is an exceptionally strong, entertaining movie. It depicts the fascinating downfall of a man overlooked by society and not helped by the mental health system. It gives us a stunning lead performance, and it also won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. It's absolutely a success and DC should be applauded for having a comic book character leading one of the most talked about movies of the year. However, it needed to stand more on its own. For that reason more than any other, Joker isn't on my top 10 of 2019.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The King of Comedy, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Dark Knight, You Were Never Really Here