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DC's lone advantage over Marvel is that they aren't married to the shared universe concept. Let's just say if the actor you chose to play Batman decides he wants to dip before his solo movie goes into production or you want to retool your financially successful, but poorly received quirky team up movie by bringing in a whole lot of new blood on both sides of the camera for the sequel, those changes can be made without hesitation. This fast-and-loose approach to handling a massive IP also means they have the luxury of taking chances that their Disney-owned rivals have no interest in making. Their most ambitious swing to date comes with Joker- a slow-burning character study that has more in common with Taxi Driver than The Dark Knight. While it may be a radical way to approach the origin story of an iconic Batman villain, it ends up being a pathetic attempt to try and lure cinephiles into a world that they typically feel is well beneath them.
From the opening shot of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) applying clown makeup and forcing himself to smile in the mirror, Joker establishes an infuriating aura of self-importance. Co-writer/director Todd Phillips' (The Hangover, Old School) approach to dramatic filmmaking is just stuffing every scene with wall-to-wall "LOOK AT ME" theatrics to try and dress up the staggering lack of substance that exists underneath its tryhard exterior. Putting several dancing montages designed to illustrate the joy an isolated man feels when he's finally receiving the attention he's long craved after committing violent crimes and some painfully obvious commentary about the social and societal failures by mankind as a whole that can help turn people suffering with mental illness into monsters doesn't magically make this story profound.
In fact, the non-stop cues (Contemplative shots, nods to the current political climate, philosophy references, etc.) Phillips uses to remind the audience just how deep and important his movie is trying to be robs Fleck's descent into madness of any real impact. He kind of just starts killing people that mocked or betrayed him over the years then things wrap up on a note that isn't likely to surprise anybody that's seen a psychological drama before. Nothing that happens here is disturbing, provocative or engrossing, it simply unfolds and fades away without lingering on the mind for more than a few seconds. Having a complete lack of tension or emotional engagement when shit starts hitting the fan in a movie that tries embarrassingly hard to get under the viewer's skin is the clearest possible sign of a total creative failure.
Phillips may be the ringleader of this circus of exhausting artistic desperation, but Phoenix certainly makes a healthy contribution to Joker's insufferable atmosphere. Between the corny monologues and that god damn cartoonish laugh he breaks into every couple minutes, his portrayal of Fleck comes across as more of a parody of a psychopath than a mentally-ill human slowly losing their mind after decades of abuse and rejection.
While the tones of the two films couldn't possibly be more different, Phoenix's overwhelming attempt to be menacing is pretty similar to what Jared Leto did with the character in Suicide Squad. They're both terrific actors who went method to try and bring a sense of gritty menace to this iconic character, but ended up coming off like the hammy, low-rent clowns they physically resemble. It's a puzzling career low for the Oscar winner in a role that he probably could've crushed if he had dialed back his "I'M A SERIOUS THESPIAN WHO WENT THROUGH IMMENSE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PAIN IN ORDER TO PLAY THIS TORTURED SOUL, SO GIVE ME SOME AWARDS PLEASE" act a few thousand notches.
Honestly, I think Joker is best taken as a metaphor for Phillips' career trajectory. He was essentially viewed as an insignificant filmmaker in the industry for nearly 15 years when he was making bro comedies and now he's the toast of the town because he applied some "timely" commentary to the narrative arc of The King of Comedy. Truly an incomparable vision and perhaps we'll be blessed enough to see him put his newfound edgy auteur stamp on the birth of Megatron or the Cobra Commander someday.
In fact, the non-stop cues (Contemplative shots, nods to the current political climate, philosophy references, etc.) Phillips uses to remind the audience just how deep and important his movie is trying to be robs Fleck's descent into madness of any real impact. He kind of just starts killing people that mocked or betrayed him over the years then things wrap up on a note that isn't likely to surprise anybody that's seen a psychological drama before. Nothing that happens here is disturbing, provocative or engrossing, it simply unfolds and fades away without lingering on the mind for more than a few seconds. Having a complete lack of tension or emotional engagement when shit starts hitting the fan in a movie that tries embarrassingly hard to get under the viewer's skin is the clearest possible sign of a total creative failure.
Phillips may be the ringleader of this circus of exhausting artistic desperation, but Phoenix certainly makes a healthy contribution to Joker's insufferable atmosphere. Between the corny monologues and that god damn cartoonish laugh he breaks into every couple minutes, his portrayal of Fleck comes across as more of a parody of a psychopath than a mentally-ill human slowly losing their mind after decades of abuse and rejection.
While the tones of the two films couldn't possibly be more different, Phoenix's overwhelming attempt to be menacing is pretty similar to what Jared Leto did with the character in Suicide Squad. They're both terrific actors who went method to try and bring a sense of gritty menace to this iconic character, but ended up coming off like the hammy, low-rent clowns they physically resemble. It's a puzzling career low for the Oscar winner in a role that he probably could've crushed if he had dialed back his "I'M A SERIOUS THESPIAN WHO WENT THROUGH IMMENSE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PAIN IN ORDER TO PLAY THIS TORTURED SOUL, SO GIVE ME SOME AWARDS PLEASE" act a few thousand notches.
Honestly, I think Joker is best taken as a metaphor for Phillips' career trajectory. He was essentially viewed as an insignificant filmmaker in the industry for nearly 15 years when he was making bro comedies and now he's the toast of the town because he applied some "timely" commentary to the narrative arc of The King of Comedy. Truly an incomparable vision and perhaps we'll be blessed enough to see him put his newfound edgy auteur stamp on the birth of Megatron or the Cobra Commander someday.
Grade: D-
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