Joker (2019) Movie Review

By Isaac Serrato 

Staff Writer 

Joker is one of cinema’s most awesome, controversial movies of the 2010s. Having Joaquin Phoenix, an award winning Golden Globe and Oscar nominee, along with Robert De Niro, one of Hollywood’s best actors with six of his films being stored in the United States National Film Registry, with many awards in his collection in many different movies. There are also great supporting actors Zazie Beetz, Brett Cullen, Glenn Flehser, Leigh Gill with many more. 

To understand the movie you have to understand the controversy surrounding the film. The movie was immediately hated by the media with other fear mongers, there was this intense fear the movie would have sparked violence, that the main protagonist was a “incel” (involuntary celbate, online subculture of sexually frustrated men who can’t attract or talk to women) even though Joker is mentally ill. Or that there would be mass chaos even with the U.S. Army preparing for violence. People weren’t allowed to wear costumes at movies, there were guards at some places (even with checkpoints). There were also the controversial themes of political violence, mental illness, a lonely character taking his anger out on society, or themes about men’s place in society or how they are not taken seriously. However, when the film was released there were no records of violence about it but instead high praise from the audience, the highest grossing rated-R film ever in cinema history, along with a 8 minute standing ovation, but critics hated the film. They said it was disgusting, hateful, violent, and self-pity with potential to cause mass shootings while some others called it a masterpiece. But audiences loved it for its amazing, fresh portrayal of Joker, the mental trauma that is displayed, the call for awareness for mental illness, with the portrayal of how a lot of modern day men feel in society.  

(Arthur is told to put on a happy face but Arthur starts to show his true feelings in a deadly, terrifying way) 

Now time for the movie review, the movie is absolutely brilliant, with an amazing performance from Joaquin Phoenix (Phoenix is highly well known to be a method actor, trying his best to become the character), with Phoenix starving himself 50 pounds, isolating himself for hours to remember the script, being in a dark place during film development. It paid off with Aurther Fleck the main character of the movie is a depressed, broke, clown, who suffers from mental illness, soon one day breaks, becomes nihilistic, losing his grip, unleashes violence on society, he also suffers from a condition where he cannot control his compulsive, random, uncontrollable laughter. Robert De Niro plays as Murray Franklin, a late night talk show host in Joker who is the antagonist of the film as he humiliates Arthur for his botched performance as a comedian. Arthur then becomes angry, vowing to take revenge on Murray. Thomas Wyane (played by Brett Cullen) is the secondary antagonist as Arthur thinks Thomas Wyane is to blame for his poverty. While Arthur’s mother Penny Fleck is played by Frances Conroy, Penny is a sick, eldery mother that Arthur struggles taking care of. All of these characters play into the theme of mental decline of Arthur, leading to the birth of the Joker. 

Joker is horrifying to watch with his terrifying, dreadful music, the dark themes playout before your eyes. Seeing a nice man turn into a terrorist, to see a man struggling to have hope then turn into a nihilistic narcissist. To witness self-pity/loathing turn into bloody murder. But yet at the same time you feel bad for Arthur, you feel empathy for him as he tries to be nice to people only to be rejected, be harmed, then you understand why he carries out the atrocities.  Arthur didn’t create Joker, society did. 

(In this dramatic scene, the Joker shows his lack of empathy towards society as he mercilessly watches 2 detectives get brutally beaten by a angry mob of anarchists and class activists) 

The message of Joker hits hard, to avoid men like Joker, we need empathy, kindness. It also raises awareness of why men with mental problems need attention, care from society. Especially in the last 30 minutes of the film. The famous, jaw dropping scene of Joker arguing with Murray then killing him is the most well acted, shocking scene in Hollywood. The music builds up tension, you know something bad is going to happen but you don’t know, then the murder happens out of no where. But the scene shows how mentally ill men are left discarded, left to die with no attention or empathy from society but yet we get shocked when a mentailly ill loner snaps. 

(Arthur is shown to be depressed and lonely, but hardly anyone pays attention) 

Joker is a message. Be kind, empathic to sick men or else they’ll snap with hell to pay. The film also seems to have a message to elites, society, the world is cruel outside, the studio is comfy but look outside, be kind, empathic or people might not be so welcoming back.  

(The famous scene of Joker killing Murray is the highlight of the movie, highlighting how Arthur has become the Joker, gone into the deep end of self-pity)