Joker premiered in theaters before this website even existed, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity to mention one of the cultural events of 2019. Or rather, THE event. Dominated by the oppressive atmosphere of a gloomy, lonely, rat-scented world reminiscent of Taxi Driver ( Martin Scorsese was two phone calls away from producing and directing it ), Joker (8,2 on FilmAffinity) will undoubtedly be the cinematic milestone (or icon, if you prefer) most associated with 2019 in future yearbooks and TV specials. Joker is that gifted kid we had in our class. That irreverent kid who knew he was gifted, so cocky, poor thing, but gifted nonetheless.
We live in extravagant times of sweeping hyper-categorization, where anything that isn't labeled a masterpiece is practically destined for the trash heap . And vice versa. Joker is already the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing comic book movie on a shoestring budget. Lately, we're making history beyond our means, and of course, the inevitable happens: we all get nervous. Then, months pass, the dust settles, and gravity takes its course.
Review of Joker, by Todd Phillips
With its tone, script, lack of black capes, and Joaquin Phoenix, the first trailer for Joker already gave us a certain thrill of novelty: it threatened to be something more than just another reboot of Batman's green-haired nemesis. And it was. But let's not get carried away, please, calm down in the theater. The film isn't even close to the top 10 films of 2019 on Metacritic (59 average score). This should tell us something. Mind you: Joker doesn't exactly deserve a 20/100 from Time either.
In a way, Joker is a reboot, yes. But of The King of Comedy. Martin Scorsese 's 1983 film is, at times, a template upon which Joker offers a modern update.
The day will soon come (if it isn't already here) when we'll look back and say, "Yeah, we got a little carried away with that one." The most valuable lesson Joker teaches us is also the one we least expected. Hence the shock : the best superhero movie turned out to be one that didn't contain superheroes. Joker is the most introspective and explosion-free exercise the average Transformers viewer will ever encounter . And this is good for general culture, but dangerous for DC's future box office and its expansionist ambitions in the genre of thought-provoking superhero movies . We shall see.
At times, Joker is like Phoenix and De Niro: staring at herself in the mirror and talking to herself while smoothing her hair. She's all self-awareness (bordering on posing) that people are watching her. She's all pop symbolism: from the main character (a guy named Happy who struggles to smile), to her clothing, the infamous stairs, and the very concept of depression, the most widespread ailment in the world today, in its various degrees of intensity. The fact that we're all feeling a little down helps us empathize with the dark and surreal Gotham that Todd Phillips presents.
Although Gotham has always been a place that rarely receives sunlight, seen through the eyes of the protagonist Happy , the city (and society) becomes a pure nightmare . And this is the best thing about Joker: the way in which, starting from the outside, Phillips describes the inner world of this beautiful and abandoned creature left to his own devices, Happy.
At this point in the review, there will even be people who think that we didn't like Joker.
It is in the wake of this great revelation that revisiting Joker becomes mandatory . It reveals just how accurately this disoriented, wounded animal is describing us all: his two vital needs are also the two basic priorities driving the planet today : the desire for love and the need for recognition from his fellow human beings. Everything else—violence, blood, war—is mere collateral damage. Happy probably possesses above-average humanity: he has no ambition for power or money (beyond securing basic sustenance) . He simply wants validation; to gain the approval of the very society that has poisoned his soul.
Todd Phillips's talent is undeniable. He manages to keep us glued to our seats for two agonizing hours with sewer-like settings and a plot, characters, and atmosphere that practically make you want to hang yourself . Two hours sustained solely by an actor who would have deserved the Oscar for best performance had he won it. The film's ending is sublime. You finish watching Joker feeling guilty, without quite knowing why.
Joker is one of the best movies of 2019, but not the movie of 2019.
7/10