Consider this your warning about 'Joker'
No Content for Old Men
with Matt Craig
In this week's newsletter: A review of the darkness that is Joker. Whew boy, strap in for that. Then I'll highlight a documentary and two new shows for ya, shoutout the only movie I've never been able to watch start to finish, and give a few streaming recommendations for your weekend. Lastly in this week's "Trailer Watch," a crime movie with a ridiculously good cast that I'd somehow never heard of until now. Enjoy!
Word Count: 835 words
Approximate Reading Time: 6 minutes
Joker
This is not a movie to laugh at
As the lights dimmed in my packed out screening of Joker, a movie that will no doubt fill theaters nationwide this weekend, the last thing I wanted to consider was whether the film was going to be "problematic." That was the prevailing narrative, unavoidable thanks to extra security in the theater and a litany of think pieces flashing across my social media feeds all week. But come on. In a click-driven world, getting offended is good for business. I don't confuse my movies for sermons.
When the lights rose two hours later, it was the only question that mattered. Is this movie problematic? I'd like to think I have a high capacity for these kinds of things, and I was shook. Audiences for big blockbuster movies, trained by a decade of good-overcoming-evil superhero fare, will not be prepared for what they will experience watching this. Take it from my audience. Some people cheered as the credits rolled. Other people booed. On the way out, hardly anyone spoke.
It is DARK. Disturbing. Bleak. Grim. Gloomy. Hopeless. Grisly. Harsh. Ominous. (And every other word I can find on thesaurus.com.) You starting to get the picture?
Tracking the tragic descent of Arthur Fleck from mentally ill sad sack into full-on psychopathic terrorist was never going to be a walk in the park, sure, but it's hard not to see the events of this narrative as a lionization of violence and cruelty. Fleck turns in every possible direction for a helping hand, then as a last resort finds his catharsis in hurting other people.
There is no endorsement of this solution, and filmmaker Brian Phillips shows the consequences of his terrible actions. Never does a viewer start to side with Fleck. Still, the arc of the protagonist seems to culminate in self-actualization. Dance to the beat of your own drum! Comedy is subjective! Be who you truly are! Even if that happens to be a mass murderer. Only then will you find community, in the form of a riotous anarchic mob. Fleck's breakthrough of clarity, after seeing his victimhood under unimaginable circumstances, does engender some measure of sympathy.
Whether that is dangerous or not is up for debate. I do not think it is the film's intention to stir up chaos or violence. Heck, this movie could just as well be an allegory for the internet. Think about it. One crazy person has no friends so he starts acting crazy in public, only to find that there's a community of people out there who are equally as crazy, and they go act crazy together. If that's the not the story of social media in 2019 I don't know what is.
What Joker is, really, is a super-villain movie. Audiences have long been enamored by the charismatic bad guy: Hannibal Lector, Hans Gruber, Keyser Soze. Of course Heath Ledger's portrayal in 2008's The Dark Knight certainly belongs in this pantheon. But in each case, the characters serve as a foil for our heroes. What if the movie was actually about the villain?
There would be no character development, no lessons learned, no happy endings. The Joker is an agent of anarchy. Left unchecked, he's going to create chaos. That's what he does! The natural question then is why, how did he get that way? So we walk through his life of delusion, humiliation and tragedy. In the real world, violence is rarely the work of a genius criminal mastermind. More often it's the result of someone teetering on the edge of sanity, as Arthur Fleck does. Ultimately, he snaps.
These are not pleasant things, but then again, what did you expect from a movie about The Joker?
That's why this is such a difficult movie to evaluate. It's fair to say the plot is influenced, if not stolen, from the Scorcese-De Niro classic The King of Comedy, including a winking performance from De Niro himself. But technically the work is solid. It really is beautiful, capturing the enduring allure of hellish Gotham City. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is incredible, even if is modulated way way up. And most importantly, it generates a strong emotional reaction of one kind or another. That's powerful.
I just can't get myself to say I "liked" it. As I left the theater and headed for home, my overwhelming emotion was sadness. I was sad that someone came up with such darkness, that the world will be exposed to it, or the fact that the turmoil of Gotham doesn't seem quite so far off from our own world.
If you're the type of person who believes movies are capable of influencing cultural values, and are therefore upset to see stories devoid of redemption or values, steer clear. Because I am not that person. I see movies as art to be interpreted, not as a world view. And even I don't know how I feel about the world of Joker. All I know is it is no laughing matter.
Streaming Suggestions!
Something New
The Politician (Netflix): In sort of a Rushmore-meets-Election serial drama following the class president race at an ultra-rich high school in Santa Barbara, Netflix tries to capture teen zeitgeist once again in its first collaboration under the mega deal with creator Ryan Murphy. The result is kinda garden variety hijinx infused with modern angst and social media, classed up by the Wes Anderson-style cinematography and set design. I found it fun, but it didn't do a lot to draw me back for more episodes (unlike "The Boys," which I suggested last week and binged throughout this week).
Diego Maradona (HBO): I'm not sure western audiences, myself included, really understood the god-like status of Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona in the 1980's. This documentary follows his time in Napoli, winning every championship imaginable, becoming a god on earth, then crashing down to rock bottom. It's thrilling and tragic and above all fascinating, told through a remarkable amount of archival footage.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 14: The gang is back, now anointed the longest running live action comedy in television history. The show's writing is significantly more "woke" now, but that doesn't stop it from being hilarious week in and week out. Appointment viewing for me.
Something Old
Taxi Driver (1976): The original descent into madness and the movie most frequently compared to Joker. Having now seen both I don't really think it's a good comparison. Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle is a bad guy who envisions himself as a white knight. He wants to make the world a better place. And Bickle's madness comes from his intense loneliness, which oddly enough Joker doesn't experience as much of in this newest version. Anyway, if you've never seen this seminal piece of cinematic history you need to. If you're feeling lonely you're going to connect with it and love it, or you won't buy in and be bored by its slow pace. Doesn't make it less of a masterpiece.
Something to Stream
The King of Comedy (Amazon): Ok so of all the movies I've seen in my life, this is the only one I've tried and failed to watch three times. No disrespect! It's a Martin Scorcese/Robert De Niro classic, but it's so cringeworthy I can't stand it. The levels of delusion from De Niro's aspiring comedian are unbearable. Still, this movie serves as basically source text for Joker, with Joaquin Phonix playing De Niro's character and De Niro basically reprising the role held by Jerry Lewis in the original. If you can withstand cringey stuff, check it out.
The Dark Knight (Netflix): As I've said many times, I am NOT a superhero guy. A part of me dies inside when I ask someone what their favorite movie is and they say this (I've found it is the most common answer--runners up Inception and Interstellar--so apparently Christopher Nolan has a stranglehold on the cinematically uneducated). BUT it's worth revisiting this modern masterpiece every so often to remind yourself what the genre is capable of, and to see one of the greatest acting performances in movie history. All respect to Joaquin Phoenix, no one will ever do it like Heath Ledger. Rest in peace.
Trailer Watch: The Gentlemen
This almost never happens, but I haven't heard a single thing about this movie. Yet here's the trailer dropped on my lap, of a crime movie starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam and Henry Golding? Wait wait wait...and Colin Ferrell, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, and Hugh Grant?!? Directed by Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes)?? Shut up and take my money.