Joker (2019 film)
| Joker | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Todd Phillips |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | Characters by DC Comics |
| Starring | Joaquin Phoenix |
| Music by | Hildur Guðnadóttir |
| Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
| Edited by | Jeff Groth |
Production
companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
| 122 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55–70 million[2][3] |
| Box office | $289.9 million[4] |
Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. An origin story set in 1981, the film follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron appear in supporting roles. Joker was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, and Village Roadshow Pictures, and distributed by Warner Bros.
Phillips conceived Joker in 2016 and wrote the script with Silver throughout 2017. The two were inspired by 1970s character studies and the films of Martin Scorsese, who was initially attached to the project as a producer. The graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988) was the basis for the premise, but Phillips and Silver otherwise did not look to specific comics for inspiration. Phoenix became attached in February 2018 and was cast that July, while the majority of the cast signed on by August. Principal photography took place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark, from September to December 2018. It is the first live-action Batman film to receive an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, due to its violent and disturbing content.
Joker premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, where it won the Golden Lion, and was released in the United States on October 4, 2019. The film polarized critics; while Phoenix's performance was praised, the dark tone, portrayal of mental illness, and handling of violence divided responses.[5] Joker also generated concerns of inspiring real-world violence; the movie theatre where the 2012 Aurora, Colorado mass shooting occurred during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises refused to show it. The film has grossed $289.9 million worldwide and set box office records for an October release.
Contents
Plot
In 1981, party clown Arthur Fleck lives with his mother, Penny, in Gotham City. Gotham is rife with crime and unemployment, leaving segments of the population disenfranchised and impoverished. Arthur suffers from a disorder that causes him to laugh at inappropriate times, and depends on social services for medication. After a gang attacks him in an alley, Arthur's co-worker, Randall, lends him a gun. Arthur invites his neighbor, single mother Sophie, to his stand-up comedy show, and they begin dating.
While entertaining at a children's hospital, Arthur's gun falls out of his pocket. Arthur is fired and Randall lies that Arthur bought the gun himself. On the subway, still in his clown makeup, Arthur is beaten by three drunken Wayne Enterprises businessmen; he shoots two in self-defense and executes the third. The murders are condemned by billionaire mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne, who labels those envious of more successful people as "clowns". Demonstrations against Gotham's rich begin, with protesters donning clown masks in Arthur's image. Funding cuts shutter the social service program, leaving Arthur without medication.
Arthur's comedy show goes poorly; he laughs uncontrollably and has difficulty delivering his jokes. Talk show host Murray Franklin mocks Arthur by showing clips from the routine on his show. Arthur intercepts a letter written by Penny to Thomas, alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son, and berates his mother for hiding the truth. At Wayne Manor, Arthur talks to Thomas' young son, Bruce, but flees after a scuffle with butler Alfred Pennyworth. Following a visit from two Gotham City Police Department detectives investigating Arthur's involvement in the train murders, Penny suffers a stroke and is hospitalized.
At a public event, Arthur confronts Thomas, who tells him that Penny is delusional. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's case file; the file says Penny adopted Arthur as a baby and allowed her abusive boyfriend to harm them both. Penny alleged that Thomas used his influence to fabricate the adoption and commit her to the asylum to hide their affair. Distraught, Arthur goes to the hospital and kills Penny. He enters Sophie's apartment unannounced. Frightened, Sophie tells him to leave; their previous encounters were Arthur's delusions.
Arthur is invited to appear on Murray's show due to the unexpected popularity of his routine clips. As he prepares, he is visited by his former co-workers Gary and Randall. Arthur murders Randall but leaves Gary unharmed for treating Arthur well in the past. En route to the studio, Arthur is pursued by the two detectives onto a train filled with clown protesters. One accidentally shoots a protester and incites a riot. Arthur escapes in the chaos.
Before the show goes live, Arthur requests that Murray introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's previous mockery. Arthur walks out to a warm reception, but tells morbid jokes, admits that he killed the men on the train, and rants about how society abandons the disenfranchised and how Murray mocked him. Arthur kills Murray live on television and is arrested as riots break out across Gotham. One rioter corners the Wayne family in an alley and murders Thomas and his wife Martha, sparing Bruce.[a] Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur and free him. He dances to the cheers of the crowd. At Arkham, Arthur laughs to himself and tells his psychiatrist she would not understand the joke. He runs from orderlies, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints.
Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker:
A mentally ill, impoverished stand-up comedian disregarded by society,[7] whose history of abuse causes him to become a nihilistic criminal.[8] Phoenix had been interested in a low-budget "character study" of a comic book character, and said the film "feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe ... It might as well be the thing that scares you the most."[9] Phoenix lost 52 pounds (24 kg) in preparation,[10][11] and based his laugh on "videos of people suffering from pathological laughter."[12] He also sought to portray a character who audiences could not identify with and did not look to previous Joker actors for inspiration; instead, he read a book about political assassinations so he could understand killers and motivations.[8] Director Todd Phillips said that he intentionally left it ambiguous as to whether Arthur becomes the actual Joker as seen in traditional Batman stories or inspires a separate character.[13] - Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin:[14]
A talk show host who plays a role in Arthur's downfall.[15] De Niro said his role in Joker pays homage to his character from The King of Comedy (1983), Rupert Pupkin, who is a comedian obsessed with a talk-show host.[14] - Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond:[16]
A cynical single mother and Arthur's love interest.[16][17] Beetz, a "huge fan" of Phoenix, said that it was "an honor" to co-star with him,[18] and that she learned a lot working with him on set.[19] - Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck: Arthur's mentally and physically ill mother,[20] who formerly worked for Thomas Wayne.[21] Hannah Gross portrays a young Penny.[22]
Additionally, Brett Cullen plays Thomas Wayne, a billionaire philanthropist running for mayor of Gotham.[23] Unlike the source material, he plays a role in the Joker's origins and is less sympathetic than traditional incarnations.[24] Alec Baldwin was initially cast in the role but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[25][26] Douglas Hodge plays Alfred Pennyworth, the butler and caretaker of the Wayne family,[27] and Dante Pereira-Olson plays Bruce Wayne, Thomas's son, who becomes the Joker's arch enemy Batman as an adult.[28][29]
Additional cast members include Glenn Fleshler as Randall, a clown and Arthur's co-worker;[30] Bill Camp and Shea Whigham as two detectives in the Gotham City Police Department;[31] Marc Maron as Gene Ufland, a producer on Franklin's show;[32][33] Leigh Gill as Gary, Arthur's co-worker;[34] Josh Pais as Hoyt Vaughn, Arthur's agent;[30][35] Brian Tyree Henry as a clerk at Arkham State Hospital;[36] and Bryan Callen as a co-worker of Arthur.[37] Justin Theroux cameos uncredited as a celebrity guest on Franklin's show.[38]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 458 reviews, with an average rating of 7.29/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star – and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema."[145] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100 based on 58 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[146] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 84% (with an average 4 out of 5 stars) and a 60% "definite recommend."[3]
Mark Kermode of The Observer, rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating that, "Joker has an ace card in the form of Joaquin Phoenix's mesmerisingly physical portrayal of a man who would be king."[147] Writing for IGN, Jim Vejvoda gave Joker a perfect score, writing the film "would work just as well as an engrossing character study without any of its DC Comics trappings; that it just so happens to be a brilliant Batman-universe movie is icing on the Batfan cake." He found it a powerful and unsettling allegory of contemporary neglect and violence, and described Phoenix's performance as the Joker as engrossing and "Oscar-worthy."[148] Similarly, Xan Brooks of The Guardian—who also gave the film a perfect score—called it "gloriously daring and explosive" and appreciated how Phillips used elements from Scorsese films to create an original story.[149] Variety's Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Phoenix is astonishing as a mentally ill geek who becomes the killer-clown Joker in Todd Phillips' neo-Taxi Driver knockout: the rare comic-book movie that expresses what's happening in the real world."[150]
ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis acclaimed Joker as a groundbreaking comic book adaptation that he found scarier than most 2019 horror films. Davis compared it favorably to the 2008 Batman film The Dark Knight, praised the cinematography and performances, and called it a film that needed to be seen to be believed.[151] Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond believes the film redefines the Joker and is "impossible to shake off." Hammond also praised the story and performances, and summarized the film as "a bravura piece of filmmaking that speaks to the world we are actually living in today in ways that few movies do."[152] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said he was lost for words in describing Phoenix's performance, calling the film "gut-wrenching" and "simply stupendous."[153]
However, David Ehrlich of IndieWire was more mixed and gave the film a "C+." He felt that while "Joker is the boldest and most exciting superhero movie since The Dark Knight," it was "also incendiary, confused, and potentially toxic." Ehrlich thought that the film would make DC fans happy and praised Phoenix's performance, but criticized Phillips' direction and the lack of originality.[154] A more critical review came from Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com, who gave the film two stars out of four. Though he praised the performances and thought the story worked, Kenny criticized the social commentary and Phillips' direction, finding the film too derivative and believing its focus was "less in entertainment than in generating self-importance."[155]
Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek, in a negative review, labeled Phoenix's performance as over-the-top and felt that while Phillips tried to "[give] us a movie all about the emptiness of our culture... he's just offering a prime example of it." She argued the plot was nonexistent, "dark only in a stupidly adolescent way," and "stuffed with phony philosophy."[156] Meanwhile, NPR's Glen Weldon thought the film lacked innovation and said its sympathetic take on the Joker was "wildly unconvincing and mundanely uninteresting." Weldon also described Joker as trying too hard to deviate from the comics and, as a result, coming off as an imitation of films like Taxi Driver.[157] Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian called it "the most disappointing film of the year." While praising Phoenix's performance and the first act, he criticized the motivation for violence and the Joker's supposed role in triggering protests against capitalism.[158]
Industry response
Joker generated positive responses from industry figures. DC Comics chief creative officer Jim Lee praised it as "intense, raw and soulful," and said that it remained true to the character despite deviating from the source material.[144] Actor Mark Hamill, who has voiced the Joker in animation and video games, thought the film "brilliantly" reinvented the character and gave it "[two] thumbs up."[159] Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore called Joker a "cinematic masterpiece" and said it was a "danger to society" if people did not see it.[160] Josh Brolin, who portrays Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, found the film powerful, "To appreciate Joker I believe you have to have either gone through something traumatic in your lifetime (and I believe most of us have) or understand somewhere in your psyche what true compassion is."[161]
Social commentary
Joker deals with the themes of mental illness and its effects.[162] Its depiction of the Joker has been described as reminiscent of those who commit mass shootings in the United States as well as members of the online incel community.[163][164]
Vejvoda, Hammond, and The Guardian's Christina Newland interpreted the film as a cautionary tale—society's ignorance of those who are less fortunate will create a person like the Joker.[148][152][165]
Stephen Kent, writing for The Washington Examiner, described Arthur Fleck as blending shared aspects of mass shooters, and interpreted its message as a reminder that society is riddled with men like the Joker.[163]
Writing in People's World, Chauncey K. Robinson said the film "walks a fine line between exploration and validation" of Joker's character, and is "ultimately an in-your-face examination of a broken system that creates its own monsters."[166]
Some writers have expressed concern that Joker's sympathetic portrayal of a homicidal maniac could inspire real-world violence.[167][168] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair found the film was too sympathetic towards "white men who commit heinous crimes;" and that the social-politics ideologies represented in the film are "evils that are far more easily identifiable" to people "who shoot up schools and concerts and churches, who gun down the women and men they covet and envy, who let loose some spirit of anarchic animus upon the world—there's almost a woebegone mythos placed on them in the search for answers."[169]
Jim Geraghty of National Review wrote he was "worried that a certain segment of America's angry, paranoid, emotionally unstable young men will watch Joaquin Phoenix descending into madness and a desire to get back at society by hurting as many people as possible and exclaim, 'finally, somebody understands me!'"[170]
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