Reviewed by Ramona Prioleau

Released to much anticipation and fanfare, Joker (2019) is the latest film to feature Batman’s most iconic villain, and the first since 2012’s The Dark Knight. In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a struggling standup comedian who turns to a life of chaos and crime after experiencing a number of unfortunate failures and psychotic breaks. The story of Fleck’s journey to become Gotham City’s #1 Most Wanted, Joker is both a prequel of sorts as well as a standalone film in the DC Extended Universe.

There’s impressive filmmaking to be found all throughout Joker. The cinematography and the coloring are deep and gritty, showing us a Gotham that feels both familiar and new. The soundtrack hides in the background throughout, slowly creating tension and only occasionally taking center stage in a number of triumphant musical moments. And Joaquin Phoenix certainly stands out as Fleck. His casting was a great choice, and he conveys the depths of a fracturing psyche in a way that is unique, odd and believable. His mannerisms—the subtext in his side-eyes or the worry in his furrowed brow—are all hallmarks of a talented performer who’s acting beyond the confines of what’s in the script.

But that’s where the film really falters — its script. Joker does more than wear its influences on its sleeve; it imitates Scorsese films like Taxi Driver and King of Comedy in a way that is anything but flattering. A number of sequences are plucked directly from the plots of those movies, and instead of subtle winks or references to the tradition, these moments are rather incessant reminders that one could be watching a number of other better films. Joker is captivating for its entire two-hour runtime (Phoenix’s performance makes sure of that), but it’s missing all of the nuance and insight of the films it so clearly wishes it was.

There’s also the question that so many movie-goers asked when this film was first announced—is it really necessary at all? The answer is no. There’s nothing in Joker that will shake up the character’s 80-year history in any substantive way, and this is where the comparison with Ledger’s Joker goes beyond the actors’ mere skill or performance. Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight has been seared into the public consciousness. In the 13 years since its release, Ledger’s Joker has become the Joker, perhaps more than any iteration before it. Phoenix’s version, while captivating, already seems to be fading away. The pull of the mystery, of a chaotic clown prince whose history and motives are unknown, may simply be too strong.

There is a good movie in here somewhere, but Joker’s half-baked, derivative script lets it down at almost every turn. It’s a film that tries so hard to have something to say, that tries so hard to be thoughtful, but in the end, it fails. M

October 2019