The Dark Knight opened the door. Black Panther and Logan walked through it. Now, Joker is in Oscar's house, shoes off, feet all on their couch like Chappelle’s Rick James. Todd Phillips adaptation of the iconic villain might (and should) finally prove to voters what comic lovers have known all along. Underneath those superpowers are too-little-tackled human stories shown in their truest light through a fake lens. Strip the powers, the fantastical, and the bombastic, and you’re left with real life. Villains present real life challenges which heroes solve with abilities to which we wish we had access. No villain put those problems in our face like The Joker.
Joker follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a mentally-ill, wannabe stand-up comedian consistently beat down by society until a breaking point leads to his transformation into the Clown Prince of Crime.
Phillips’ direction is less a comic book adaptation, and more a deep character study of both Joker and society as a whole. In the most faithful representation of the broken city that is Gotham, Joker is backdropped by a city ready to explode due to a garbage strike and tension between the elites and the not so. The dull color palette and dark tone is simultaneously emphasized and contrasted by Phoenix’s stark outfits and deafening struggles. This juxtaposition spotlights how we treat those how are lesser, especially those fighting mental illness.
Fleck, consistently trying to handle a condition where he uncontrollably laughs through distress, is bullied throughout the film. “The worst part about having a mental illness” Fleck states in his joke journal, “is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.” Even a laminated card explaining his ailment doesn’t lesson others discomfort because its way easier to misunderstand and torment than it is to empathize.
Joker’s pace mirrors that uncomfortable, time-slowing crawl you feel as a member of a society wholly unprepared to face those with illness. It creeps through one hard-to-watch scene after another; its skin-crawling misery you’re unable to look away from. The sluggish march does also magnify some hard to believe story flaws: an unfulfilling relationship with his next-door neighbor Sophie (Zazie Beets), and two never-should-have-gotten-that-far encounters, one with a familiar face, and the other Robert De Niro’s late-night talk show host Murray Franklin (a flipped-on-its-head ode to Bobby’s The King of Comedy role, Rupert Pupkin). Yet all of these flaws are resolved beautifully by Joaquin Phoenix’s inspired performance, which carries the latter two encounters through amazingly spine-chilling scenes.
Joaquin is in almost every minute of the film, filling every second with unsettling laughter covering horrifying sadness. The laugh itself is a character that shadows Fleck’s every obstacle. Each cackle brings him deeper into his ascent into acceptance. Before the opening finger-forced grin, you can see Arthur has already descended into madness. We experience the depths of sadness and solitude that brings Arthur to a final 30-minutes with some of the most Joker-ish Joker scenes ever. I will never look at a door latch the same again. We never thought anyone could capture the sinister glee of Heath Ledger, but the terrifyingly menacing Phoenix in full Clown Prince mode will begin those debates. From unsuccessfully fighting desolate madness to chaotically embracing disturbed anarchy, Joaquin is physically and emotionally emaciating, dancing his way to a staggering performance that will be imprinted into your brain for a long time.
Joker is dark, hard to watch, and will leave an imprint on your soul. But there is no better way to embody the most iconic comic book villain of all time. This character study is horrifyingly beautiful. Todd Phillips masterfully navigates the harsh realities of mental illness and societal atrocities, and you will leave the theater questioning your own moral compass. Joaquin Phoenix delivers an Oscar worthy performance that proves comic-books create movies that can be more than just theme parks. Change the movie, character, and setting’s names, and you would still have a Scorcesian examination of what our darkest impulses can create and influence. Joker is one of the best films of the year and it will live amongst the pantheon of all time movie-going experiences. I am giving Joker 9/10 blood-smeared smiles.