Joker (Review & Commentary)

Transcribed directly from an audio recording

I just viewed this film for the seventh time last night and let me tell you, I’m still amazed. There are no two ways about it, I love this film. I first heard of this film a couple of years ago and to be honest I was a little worried. Given the massive surge of comic book-based films and a trend of origin stories, I was definitely a little skeptical of the announcement. We also had the great performance of Heath Ledger just over a decade ago and more recently a Joker portrayal by Jared Leto. The timing seemed a little bit rushed and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a third portrayal of the iconic Joker within less than a decade. My worry was immediately alleviated when I heard that Joaquin Phoenix was in talks to star in the film and that Todd Phillips was set to direct and write. I have been a fan of Joaquin’s for years. I have a very special adoration for his brother River Phoenix and I’ve been watching Joaquin do amazing work for the last thirty years. I first remember seeing him in Space Camp when he was very young and I have always loved his portrayal of Johnny Cash and Commodus from Gladiator. He’s a superb actor, to say the least. I’m even a fan of his mockumentary I’m Still Here and at the time, I even momentarily believed he was quitting acting to become a hip hop artist. Todd Phillips also has always been great. I’m a huge fan of Old School and The Hangover trilogy. I can’t think of a film of his I don’t enjoy. I always have a chuckle when I see him in Old School as the “I’m here for the gang bang” guy. Even Martin Scorsese was rumoured to be attached in some capacity which further added clout to this film.

I paid close attention to the making of this film over the past year and a half. I was very happy when the first teaser was released. “Laughing” by The Guess Who, a great Canadian band, was featured. The first actual trailers were also quite stellar and I could see that this was going to be a very different comic book film. You could tell that they were going for an “R” rating with a gritty and realistic feel. The Joker’s iconic look was different, even featuring different colours and the setting seemed to be placed in the late seventies and eighties. The film looked very much like it had a “Goodfellas” vibe to it. Bottom line, everything was looking positive coming into the film even though it would be far from what people expected. This would be a fresh take on the story of the Joker told in a very unconventional way.

Once the film came out, I was not disappointed. I was sincerely the most anxious I’ve ever been to see a film because, for me, The Joker is my favourite character and I would have hated to have seen his first solo outing butchered or done incorrectly. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. For me, every choice made for this film is the right one. Firstly, the setting and set design are all in top form. You really get a sense that this is Gotham City in the late seventies or early eighties. Small details are prevalent such as the graffiti-filled walls and the pile-up of garbage, etc. This film really felt like New York would have felt in the same era. I love the colours in this film, including Joker’s iconic suit and makeup. The hue and saturation of colours are the right choices and the lighting effects add to a beautiful looking film. The cinematography by Lawrence Sher deserves Oscar consideration. On top of the phenomenal set and costume design is the stunning score by Hildur Guonadottir. The score is unbelievable and unique. It adds tension and suspense and truly is the glue that really holds this film together well. The production in all aspects really deserves Oscar consideration. Across the board, every production choice is appropriate and suit the film well. I am also glad that they included several Charlie Chaplin references as he is also one of my favourites.

Joaquin Phoenix

This film is far from what I expected, but to be honest, I’m not really sure what I expected and this is a good thing. I appreciate a great many things about this film, generally speaking. Joaquin Phoenix provides an uncommon and unique portrayal of the Joker. A different kind of portrayal which is refreshing. I’m glad that he is able to take this character into a completely different direction which didn’t feel reminiscent of Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger. Even though we’ve seen quite a few portrayals of the character, this one is quite a bit different from anything we’ve seen on film or on television. His acting is brilliant, to say the least, and definitely, in my opinion, a strong contender for the Best Actor Oscar. There are a couple of scenes in which his acting is over-the-top, in kind-of an undesirable way, but I would say that ninety-nine percent of the scenes featuring him are done extremely well. He does his best work as the Joker or really anytime the makeup is on. His best pieces of acting in the film are both scenes featuring Robert De Niro. His imagined encounter with Murray Franklin at the beginning of the film and the climactic scene at the end of the film also with Murray Franklin. The subway scene in which he kills the three Wall Street punks is also done extremely well. The restroom dancing scene truly highlights Joaquin’s nuance with this character.

Summary

What I love most of all about this film is the fact that they keep everything ambiguous. They have allowed audiences to decide on what actually occurred. There have been continual debates since this film’s release on what actually happened. Was any of it real? Did he imagine the whole thing from inside the asylum? Were we seeing the events as they actually occurred or were they part of his distorted memory? Did Arthur Fleck actually die when the police car was hit? So many questions, with no answers. I loved this. I have my own theories about what actually happened, in fact, I have multiple theories of what I think happened but I’ll save that for another time. If there is one definitive about the Joker, it is the fact that there is absolutely nothing definitive about the Joker. His backstory has been ambiguous the entire time he’s been in the lexicon which is nearing nearly eighty years. His backstory has been reimagined several times and he even states in the comic books “sometimes I remember it one way and sometimes I remember it another”. I am beyond glad that Todd Phillips and Scott Silver did not do a definitive origin story or one that followed too closely to the comic books. Even though this film featured the most iconic villain in comic book history, it is told in a unique and refreshing way, and in a way that surprises audiences. The reception to this film has been overly positive with most of the praise aimed towards the acting, the clever plot, the production design and the way that this film truly explores mental illness in full detail. There was some hesitation that this film might entice violence upon release, which I can definitely understand, but I really appreciate that we are able to explore mental illness in a way we haven’t before, especially in a Joker film.

Batman & The Joker

I am a huge Batman fan, in fact, the biggest Batman fan. I can still vividly remember seeing Batman in 1989 in the theatres and my love for this character and comic books have grown ever since. My mother is also a huge fan of the sixties Batman television show and we watched this together every week on reruns. I even had the privilege of meeting Adam West himself and I was not let down. He was phenomenal in the show and even more so in person. I remember walking up in anticipation of meeting him and just as I looked up, he looked in my direction and said, “hello there, Bat fan”. I was amazed. When I was young, I collected every toy I could including a wide range of Batmobiles. I even had a set of Batman sheets. One year, my grandmother even made me a set of pillowcases refurbished from a Batman curtain. The reason I love Batman so much is that I find him to be the most relatable comic book superhero because he doesn’t have any innate super abilities. He’s had to utilize his superior detective skills, fighting skills and overall knowledge to defeat villains. Batman was able to be part of stories featuring actual superheroes and this simply clarified how strong his trained abilities were. In my opinion, the Joker is a perfect villain, especially for Batman. Batman is definitive and always has been. The Joker is his complete opposite in every way. The character is silly and insane as opposed to serious and bruiting. He is tall and lanky versus built with quaffed hair. He prefers chaos over order and so on. He is the antitheist to Batman and this is what has made him the greatest foe Batman has ever dealt with and also the greatest supervillain in comic book history. The Joker is my favourite character. I have a huge collection of comic books that feature him and I’ve been obsessed with collecting every portrayal of his on-screen, including Batman: The Animated Series and every film. I have also dressed up as the Joker over ten times in my life on Halloween, each time with a new colour scheme and outfit. My love for this character is undeniable. From a portrayal standpoint, I love most portrayals of the character. I especially love the portrayals of Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Cesar Romero and of course, Joaquin Phoenix. Each of these actors portrayed the character with a unique touch and provide something quite memorable. I am not a huge fan of the portrayal by Jared Leto, even though I love him as an actor, generally speaking. In all fairness, he isn’t given a strong film to be in and his screen time is limited, so I don’t blame him completely. The costume design and aesthetic of the Jared Leto Joker were also poor choices. Who knows, perhaps in his own outing he would have provided a better performance. We probably won’t see that, which is totally fine with me. On the same note, however, I truly hope that Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips return for a sequel. I know that fans all over the world are excited to see one, especially me.