Joker (2019)

Review Date: July 12th, 2022

Hi everyone. I know it’s been about a couple of weeks since I had last done a review. I’ve been out of school for about a month now, & I haven’t done much yet though. I do apologize for the hiatus. But anyways, time for the movie.

Joker. An awesome origin story of 1 of the most recognizable supervillains of all time. But it’s not a superhero movie like Spider-Man. I remember doing a review on the entire Tobey Maguire Spider-Man Trilogy from 2002-2007. This movie is a thriller with the origin of Batman’s archenemy. So let’s get down to the review for today.

CAST:

Joaquin Phoenix - Arthur Fleck/Joker

Robert De Niro - Murray Franklin

Zazie Beetz - Sophie Dumond (Arthur’s Love Interest)

Frances Conroy - Penny Fleck (Arthur’s Mom)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Arthur Fleck, a Party Clown & Stand-Up Comedian lives with & cares for his mother named…

Penny

in Gotham City. Arthur suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to laugh uncontrollably at inappropriate times, requiring medication for which he depends on social services. After Arthur is attacked by juvenile delinquents, his co-worker Randall gives him a revolver so that he can defend himself. Then, Arthur develops a relationship with his neighbor named…

Sophie

& invites her to see his routine at…

Pogo’s Comedy Club

At a children's hospital, Arthur is fired when his revolver falls out of his coat in full view of the children, & Randall lies to their manager, stating that the gun was Arthur's own.

Depressed on the subway & still in clown makeup, Arthur witnesses 3 drunk businessmen harassing a woman, & is then beaten by the group, who happen to work for Wayne Investments. He shoots & kills 2 of them in self-defense, & murders the 3rd as he attempts to escape. Sounds like a Martin Scorsese movie to me though. The killings are condemned by billionaire mayoral candidate named…

Thomas Wayne

who calls his political opponents…

Clowns.

Protesters react by donning clown masks in Arthur's image. Then, budget cuts shut down the social service program, leaving Arthur without medication whatsoever.

Sophie attends Arthur's stand-up routine, which goes poorly. He laughs uncontrollably, & his jokes end up falling flat. Then, Arthur intercepts a letter from Penny to Thomas, alleging that he’a Thomas's illegitimate son, & berates his mother for keeping the truth hidden.

Sometime after, he goes to Wayne Manor, where he meets Thomas's young son Bruce. But flees after a struggle with the family butler named…

Alfred Pennyworth.

Shortly after, Penny suffers a stroke, & is admitted to the hospital. I have to admit that the Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth scenes are cool for a DC non-superhero movie though.

Arthur's idol & popular late-night talk show host named…

Murray Franklin

mocks Arthur, by showing clips of his failed performance, calling him a…

Joker

angering Arthur. Arthur confronts Thomas, who tells him that he’s not his father, & that Penny’s not his biological mother. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital, & steals Penny's file, which states that she was a narcissist who adopted Arthur while working as a housekeeper for the Waynes in the 1950s.

Distraught, Arthur enters Sophie's apartment unannounced. Frightened, Sophie talks to Arthur as if the 2 were strangers, saying that she recognizes him from down the hall, then asks him to leave. Then, the movie flashes back to moments where Arthur had seen Sophie, revealing that Sophie had not actually been there, confirming that the 2 were strangers, & her presence in his life was a delusion.

The following day, Arthur smothers Penny at the hospital, killing her for her deceit. Sometime after, Arthur is invited to appear on Murray's show due to the popularity of his stand-up clips. He is visited by Randall and Gary, who were his colleagues. Arthur kills Randall out of revenge, while sparing Gary for treating him well in the past. 2 detectives pursue Arthur, now in a colorful costume, onto a subway filled with clown protesters.1 detective accidentally shoots & kills a protester, thus inciting a riot, while Arthur escapes during the chaos, making his way to the TV studio.

Right before the show goes live, Arthur asks Murray to introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's mockery. On stage, Arthur tells morbid jokes before confessing to the subway murders, ranting about how society abandons the downtrodden & mentally ill, & berates Murray for mocking him. Murray argues with Arthur, who flies into a rage, & assassinates him on live TV before the horrified audience flees. Shortly after, he gets arrested as riots erupt across Gotham.

1 of the rioters corners the Wayne family in an alley, & murders Bruce’s parents. Which also makes it an interesting origin of Batman. But the movie’s not focusing on Batman. It’s focusing on Joker.

Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car, carrying Arthur & freeing him. He stands atop the car, starts dancing to the cheers of the crowd, & smears blood on his face in the shape of a smile.

Later, at Arkham State Hospital, Arthur laughs menacingly to himself about a joke during a session with a therapist. But he declines to tell it, claiming that she wouldn't get the joke Shortly after, he escapes, leaving behind bloodied shoeprints as an orderly chases him throughout the corridors.

THE END

I have to admit that this movie is a great origin story of 1 of the most iconic supervillains of all time. This movie feels like a Martin Scorsese crime movie. But the movie was not directed by Martin Scorsese. It was directed by Todd Phillips instead.

This movie is also the 1st R-rated movie to gross $1 Billion at the Box Office as well. However, there is also a sequel to this movie as of June 2022 called…

Joker: Folie à Deux

But it’s in development with both Joaquin Phoenix & Todd Phillips returning. Folie à Deux is French for Madness for 2.

OVERALL: 10/10

End of Review

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