Skip to main content

Joker: Brooks review

A review by Brooks Rich

Joker is a film people need to see.... no matter what critics say. Chris has given his thoughts and now I will share mine. People need to see this film. You need to see it for yourself and judge it for yourself. 

The plot centers on a struggling wannabe stand up comedian named Arthur who watches his life unravel before his eyes, essentially pushing him to a complete mental break. That's all I'm going to say. Let's start with the absolute best part about Joker. Joaquin Phoenix is transcendent in this role. This is not a man acting. This is a man becoming a character. There are moments in this film that are like ballet ..... a perfectly choreographed performance. This film does not work at all without his excellence in the role. He is in almost every frame. There is no justice in this world if Phoenix doesn't win some hardware this award season. 

Slight spoilers ahead. I won't ruin anything plot wise, but some might consider what I talk about a spoiler. My main issues with Joker lie in the pacing, tonal shifts, and the use of the Batman universe. The tonal shifts in the film sometimes work and sometimes they just feel odd. Also there's a big reveal in the third act I thought was done very poorly. It's a derivative twist at this point and the film needed a clever way to do it. They didn't find one.

My biggest issue is how this film fits into the Batman mythology. Yes, Joker is a Batman villain. I am fine with him getting his own origin story as a kind of one-off for a character study. In reality, the best part of the Joker character is that there is no logic to him. It can't be traced back to anything. He represents chaos. But I am willing to watch a retconned Joker origin story. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with having the Wayne family in a somewhat prominent role. In my opinion, the use of Thomas Wayne and his family is this movie’s fatal flaw. There is a plot arch at one point concerning the Waynes and to me it took away from Joker standing on his own in a film. This is not a movie about the Joker. This is a movie about the man who became the Joker. He doesn't need to be tied to the Waynes yet. 

Again this is all my personal take and some people will call me crazy and say Joker is one of the best films of 2019. I wish I could say that, but my issues with the film outweigh everything I love about the film, save for Phoenix. Phoenix is the highlight and should be celebrated. Overall, for me, Joker disappoints more than it delivers. 

Rating: 2/5


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...
1 comment
Read more

Oscar Bait month: The Shipping News

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich Lasse Hallstrom is one of those directors I think is incredibly talented but his films normally don't do a thing for me. There just always that comes up short for me, whether its the story or how its shot or the acting or something. Most people will know Hallstrom as the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the breakout role of Leonardo Dicaprio. That is probably my favorite of his films. I know everyone loves Chocolat. Great, enjoy, I think it's lame. But today let's discuss his follow up to The Cider House Rules, his film from 1999 which did very well come awards season, and Chocolat. Both of these films did very well, especially The Cider House Rules. The big reward it got was Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving. This isn't fair to Cider House Rules but I think it's overrated as far as nominations go. 1999 is one of the greatest years in cinema and really? We nominate...
Post a Comment
Read more

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this.  This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...
Post a Comment
Read more