Joker - A Movie Review

You never know what battles a person is facing. Even if they’re dressed as a clown.

Joker is a 2019 film about the life of a mentally struggling Arthur Fleck who tries to find a life as a comedian. Reaching his breaking point in his downward spiral, Arthur devises an alter ego: Joker. Dressing as a terrifying clown, the Joker plans his revenge against the society which he deems as awful.

It wasn’t until awards season hit, that I invested in the movie, Joker. I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy this movie or not, so I took a chance. Boy, were my judgments about this movie wrong from the start! Joker is a terrifying, yet eyeopening film about the life of a man who struggles to understand the world.

Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant as Arthur Fleck or his ego name, Joker! He carries the entire film grappling with his own sanity and spiraling mental behavior. Phoenix went above and beyond, losing close to 52 pounds to appear as a hungry coyote while at the same time making audiences sympathize with how he is treated in his daily life.

Phoenix’s slow dance-like movements dressed as his clown alter ego hypnotized me throughout most of the movie. Reportedly, it took a while for Phoenix to distribute the right manic laugh to represent a crazed person. His three wins for Best Actor during the awards season thus far have been well deserved for an epic and dedicated performance.

With an ensemble of many talented individuals, Joker spawns acting talents of Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Leigh Gill, Sondra James and so many other incredible people to perform in a movie about the brutalities of the human race.

De Niro did a great job as a comedian who has always been Arthur’s inspiration, only for him to sadly realize that maybe his icon isn’t as big of a hero like he thought. That says a lot right there. Every interaction whether it was De Niro, his heartwarming relationship with his mother (Conroy) or the little interactions he has with Sophie (Beetz), it’s a look into how dilapidated Arthur’s mind is and who he relies on.

Everything about Joker is mesmerizing. The story, daunting yet sad violin music, and the ending of the film was a heart-pounding experience. Joker presents an important message on how you can never trust the main character and their perspective. I was completely invested in this story that I didn’t even notice a cunning twist right before my very eyes.

One of my favorite scenes was the gigantic staircase where the Joker demonstrates signature clown-like dance movements. I remember seeing this sequence in the trailer and I was actually super excited when this scene came up. The layout and the slow-motion techniques are terrific and I would have loved to see how this scene was shot.

Todd Phillips did a stunning job with his direction focusing closely on his character trying to express why Arthur is the way he is. Camera angles, music, and riveting cuts between scenes made this a flawless film. I invested in every sequence and it was a very different experience than I thought. Phillips waits until the last half of the film until hammering dark visuals into viewers’ skulls.

Nobody with a clown phobia should watch this movie. There are disturbing sequences, most especially the entire climax of the film. If clown movies don’t bother you, I highly advise that you don’t skip out on this masterpiece. Joker is an incredible film brought out by one of the best acting performances distributed by Joaquin Phoenix.