Joker (2019)
"I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it's a comedy."
Initially, I didn't see Joker when it released in theaterFolie à Deuxuse I didn't get around to it, but also because it seemed extremely dark compared to any of the DC releases that I was familiar with. Furthermore, I heard that there was a lot of violence and lots of triggering topics touched on, so I opted not to see it and just to pass.
I initially wasn't going to bother watching it at all, I didn't think that I was missing out on anything by not seeing it, despite everyone dressing up as Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal circa Halloween 2019. What made my change my mind was the recent trailers playing for Joker: Folie à Deux with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. While I'm not much of a Joker fan himself, I am quite the fan of all portrayals of Harley Quinn and Lady Gaga herself.
That being said, if there was never a sequel to Joker, I don't think I would have watched this film and I don't think that I would have been missing out on anything life-changing. I don't feel as if my life was different or changed prior to seeing Joker and after.
I'm not quite sure what's with the recent sympathizing with villains as of lately. Disney, DC, Marvel, they're all doing the whole "something made me this way, that's why I am the way I am" trope, in my opinion. I want to disclaim that I am not familiar with DC comics or the character of Joker; that being said, I thought that Joker was just a bad guy. Simple as that. I don't remember anything happening to him or any reason for him to become the villain that he is. I may be wrong, but I thought Joker made us sympathize with Arthur a lot more than I initially thought it would — this, I'm not quite sure if I'm a fan of or not or if I would have preferred to see someone being insane just because they are. Sometimes, bad guys are just bad people. There is no reasoning, no cause, and no excuse. And that's okay in cinema! I hope we see more stories like this soon where people are villains just because they can be.
Regardless, the film does attempt to make Arthur someoen you can sympathsize with. As someone who struggles with OCD and tourettes, I found it very interesting how poorly people treated him becuase of his condition and how cruel people treated him. This was an interesting take on the character of Joker, as I found myself feeling bad for Arthur and wishing people would just show him kindness. He seemed so full of hope and ambition, loving his job, only wanting to make people smile, simply trying to protect himself from those who treated him poorly. As the film progresses, though, it gets harder and harder to condone Arthur's actions and ways of thinking — I think some people miss this plot point, in which there's a turning point where the audience should question Arthur's actions, not defend them blindly and willingly.
I understand Arthur's rage. I understand his apathy towards the world. I understand why Arthur became a "villain." I think that it's interesting to see the backstory that they gave him and the plotline that even those with a pure heart who only want to make the world smile only takes a few pushes to drive insane, a nod to Heath Ledger's Joker quote, "Madness is a lot like gravity; all it takes is a little push." It shows that anybody can become a villain, and maybe they have a reason to; but just because someone has a reason to doesn't mean they should.
I think Joaquin Phoenix did an amazing job potraying the slow immersion into insanity that Arthur experiences. Joaquin Phoenix did a phenominal job with his performance and the potrayal of Joker that this film wanted to achieve, I believe. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the film, as violent and dark as it was. I just didn't think that it was as amazing as all the little Joker fanboys claimed it to be and not nearly as amazing as all of the metaphorical deep unpacking that people did. It was a man who was pushed to the edge, driven insane due to other's cruelty (unfortunately), and became a criminal because of it. It happens every day to people, where they're pushed past their limit. I don't think that Arthur is any different than the people who are doing the same thing in real life, and most definitely shouldn't be glorified for it, as relatble as the reasoning may be.
I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal and the spin on Joker that this film took. It was an entertaining watch that had you intrigued in Arthur's character development throughout the film, which ultimately ended up being negative. We see the results of someone being bullied in the world, in which he commits murders and people rally behind him. We have that in the real world, and it's scary. Seeing people acknowledge how well this film portrayed that without separating the reasoning and promotion of certain ideals concerns me. I believe you can acknowledge the concept of the film and creation of this version of Joker without sympathsizing with those who think harmful behavior is excused or justified simply because of how others treated them.
I'm glad I watched so that I will be able to watch Joker: Folie à Deux and see where they take Arthur's Joker and introduce Harley, as well as Bruce Wayne, but had it not been fora sequel being released I doubt I would've taken the time to watch this and I most certainly would not have been missing out on anything life-changing.