'Joker' A Review

Joker is a crime drama, the origin story of Batman nemesis Joker. The film opens on Arthur Fleck(the man who would be Joker, Joaquin Phoenix) in a dirty(there's a garbage strike) and crime ridden Gotham City as he puts on his clown make-up set to work at a going-out-of-business sale. He's accosted, receives a gun from a fellow clown, sees his social worker, and takes care of his ailing mother. He aspires to be a stand-up comedian but doesn't seem to possess the social facility or talent to achieve his dream. After a confrontation on a subway Arthur's life changes forever.

Phoenix gives a noble effort, supplying a virtual never-ending avalanche of ticks, winces, and sighs, he screams, he sprints, he laugh/weeps. The performance is certainly singular and the effort being plied is unignorable but it isn't a success. He oscillates so completely and so bewilderingly from scene to scene Arthur doesn't come across as a character he comes across as Phoenix giving a Big Performance. It's simply not believable, for a film that espouses to be "realistic" to be "gritty" it's central character, basically the sole focus of the film as Phoenix is in frame virtually the entire run time, has no depth, no texture, no recognizable humanity. Phoenix does have some ecstatic moments, notably when actually performing as a clown or some quasi-balletic silent moments, but those are few and the only breathe of authenticity the film has.

There are some wonderful actors in the supporting cast- criminally underutilized Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brian Tyree Henry- but the focus is so tight on Phoenix, so enamored with his Acting, there is no room for their engaging humanity which the film so desperately needs.

The failing isn't solely Phoenix's, he's asked to make sense and translate a stunningly lazy and derivative script. Mental illness is, once again, used in lieu of actual character development. It is unclear what diagnosis Arthur has and it's reference he's on seven different medications none of which are explained. "He's crazy! He takes pills!" Seems to be the extend of the thought behind this subplot, which could be fine in a broader less overtly "serious" film but Joker clearly has pretensions. It is not inspired by Taxi Driver, King of Comedy, Fight Club et al. it is consuming and regurgitating them. Additionally the "class conflict" in the film is so thin, so juvenile, so transparently pandering, it is no surprise it was written by a rich person.

Unlike the story the production elements of the film are wonderful and inspired- evocative locations, pitch perfect costumes, sharp almost lurid camera work, a bolstering soundtrack- all work and weave together to deliver this grungy NYC-esk Gotham that no longer exists.

 Significant ambition with little result, more marketing success than compelling cinema.

Don't See It.