A Review of "Joker"

The big night is finally here. One of the most controversial movies in recent years has finally had its release date. Based on the DC Comics super villain and everybody's favorite Tumblr relationship mascot, Joker takes an inside look at not just the legendary comic book character, but also mental illness and society's response to those different from them. This film couldn't be more poignant with today's audiences because of that reason. Mass shootings, political hysteria, a common urge to understand those different from us; Joker manages to take a look at all that and more, all while adapting the famous comic book character yet again, and in quite an astounding, jaw-dropping, gut-punching, thrill ride that I dare say is the best comic book movie and best psychological thriller in many years. Let's dive in.

As with many movies I review while they're in theaters, Spoiler material is beyond this point. Stop and get off the ride if you plan to see it. Otherwise, read on!

"You haven't been flossing, have you?"

In 1981, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) works as a clown-for-hire and lives with his mentally-ill mother, Penny (Frances Conroy), in Gotham City. Around them, the city is collapsing under unemployment, crime, and financial ruin, leaving segments of the city's population completely disenfranchised and impoverished. Arthur suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to laugh at inopportune times, including many points throughout the movie that causes anger and disdain to those around him... further disheartening him. Arthur regularly visits a social services worker to obtain medication for his mental illnesses and neurological ailment, but to no apparent avail. After a group of street kids beat him in an alley and steal his sign, which I found to be a little weird, Arthur's co-worker, Randall, loans him a gun illegally for protection. See that? Illegal gun ownership. That's what you're looking for, Democrats. Not all gun ownership... that gun ownership. Anywho, political statement aside... Arthur also meets Sophie (Zazie Beetz), a single mother who lives in a neighboring apartment, and invites her to his stand-up comedy routine.

Now that's all setup. The movie begins when, while entertaining at a children's hospital, Arthur's gun falls out of his pocket in front of them by accident. Arthur is fired for this infraction; Randall lies and says that Arthur bought the gun himself. During the subway ride home, Arthur is beaten by three drunken Wayne Enterprises businessmen when his laughing affliction flairs up inadvertently; after the beat-down, he shoots two in self-defense and executes the remaining man in cold blood. The murders unintentionally and against Arthur's intentions, start a protest movement against Gotham's rich, with protesters donning clown masks in the unidentified killer's image. Arthur later learns that funding cuts are shutting down the social service program, leaving him without access to his medication. Without it, he begins to spiral out of control.

"Mr. Phoenix, this seems too sinister for your driver's license."

Sophie attends Arthur's stand-up comedy routine, which goes poorly; he laughs uncontrollably and has difficulty delivering his jokes, much to the chagrin of those in the audience. A popular talk show host, Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) later mocks Arthur by showing clips from the routine on his TV show, crushing Arthur's spirits further. Elsewhere, Arthur intercepts a letter written by Penny to local billionaire and mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen), alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son, and berates his mother for hiding the truth. Shortly after a visit from two GCPD detectives investigating Arthur's potential involvement in the train murders, Penny falls ill from a stroke and is hospitalized. Arthur goes to Wayne Manor for answers, where he meets Thomas's son, Bruce Wayne (Dante Pereira-Olson). Arthur flees after the Wayne family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Douglas Hodge) tells Arthur that his mother made everything up due to her delusions and getting into a scuffle with him. Later, at a public event, Arthur confronts Thomas, who tells him that Penny is mentally unstable and not his biological mother. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's case file. He discovers that he was adopted after being abandoned as a baby and that Penny was a neglectful mother who allowed her boyfriend to physically and sexually abuse him as a child, causing serious head trauma. Distraught, heartbroken, and officially mentally insane, Arthur goes to the hospital and kills his mother. He returns home and enters Sophie's apartment. Frightened, she tells him to leave; this reveals that their previous encounters were Arthur's delusions of them being friends and probable lovers. A sickening and astounding twist at the same time. Absolutely brilliant storytelling.

"Ma, Hungry Man dinners are bad for you"

Things get even more demented and pick up pace when Arthur is invited to make a guest appearance on Murray's show due to the unexpected popularity of his routine clips. The 80s version of a YouTube video going viral, I suppose. As he puts on his makeup and outfit, he is visited by his former co-workers Gary and Randall. Arthur murders Randall for lying about his gun acquisition and getting him fired, but he surprisingly leaves Gary unharmed for treating him well in the past. I rooted for Gary to live. After Gary leaves, Arthur officially dons a suit and clown make up and christens himself "Joker". En route to the Murray Franklin TV studio, he is pursued by the two detectives onto a train filled with clown protesters; one of the detectives accidentally kills a protester and incites a riot while Arthur escapes in the chaos. The cops are trampled and left in critical condition from the assault. In fitting with his new mental state and persona, Arthur requests that Murray introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's previous mockery of him. Arthur comes out to a warm reception, but begins telling morbid jokes, admits that he killed the men on the train and rants about how society abandoned and mocked him. Arthur then kills Murray in an absolutely shocking, gut-wrenching moment, before being arrested. Outside the studio, riots break out across Gotham. One of the rioters corners the Wayne family in an alley and murders Thomas and his wife Martha, leaving Bruce alive after stealing her pearls, inadvertently setting off a chain reaction that would cause Bruce to grow up to become the dark knight Batman in the future. Meanwhile, a group of rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur and free him; he is hailed as a hero by the crowd and dances to their cheers on the hood of the crashed police cars. He is later shown imprisoned at Arkham State Hospital. Laughing to himself maniacally, his court-appointed psychiatrist asks him to tell her the joke that is making him laugh so; he replies that she would not understand it. He is then seen running down the hall being chased by the orderlies, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints in his path....

"Tonight on Franklin, we'll answer the question:
'Why was I in the Bullwinkle movie?'"

Joker astounded me. There have only been three movies I've seen in my lifetime that have left me unsettled, unnerved. The first was The Exorcist, the second was Schindler's List, and the third is Joker. Joker managed to tell a story about a man, a man afflicted with a psychological disorder, a man who has the worst luck in the world, a man who's just trying to survive day-to-day life in a brutal and difficult society and having nothing to show for it day-in, day-out... and make it almost near relatable. There are freak-out moments, "shit your pants" moments, and there are moments where you wonder what you yourself would do in this situation, or that situation. The movie is brilliantly paced, masterfully executed and contains one of the most legendary comic book performances in history, competing with that of... well, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight when he played... The Joker. Here's the thing... soon everyone, including myself, will throw Joaquin into the mix of "Joker debating". For me, there is no debate. Joaquin is the Joker. He's down on his luck, he's sickly, he's begging for the answers to his psychological state, and he doesn't get his answer. This reveals more dark and twisted parts of his psyche; he's sinister, he's deranged and he's mad at the world for making him the way he is... so he lashes out. A real Shakespearean tragedy that makes you question everything about the society around you. Joaquin Phoenix has officially, officially unseated Jack Nicholson as my favorite Joker portrayal.

This movie is immaculately unnerving. I've seldom heard of a legendary movie that makes its impact by scaring and creeping the ever-loving shit out of you . Joker is one, and it's my bid already for best movie of 2019. Joker is a thrill-ride that will entertain and shock you at the same time. It's truly a film for the ages, regardless of what political overtones the media may tell you it may carry with it. I loved every minute of it, for reinventing the character with a re-imagined portrayal of a timeless comic book backstory. The Killing Joke inspired a few elements, you could just tell, but director Todd Philips was very smart on how they were depicted.

Go see Joker. A cynical-yet-compromising comic book movie masterpiece.