The Killing Joker

I didn’t want to write this. There were many topics that interested me more, like Tanner Zipchen being let go from Cineplex. But it wouldn’t leave me alone, so I have no choice. That, and my Blog’s algorithm prioritizes traffic from hot-button topics. In other words, I guess I’m discussing Joker again. As if once wasn’t bad enough…

This week saw the announcement of the 2020 Oscar nominations. It’s no secret that I don’t take much offence with the ceremony-there are more pressing issues to complain about with The Academy than its choices each year-but it wasn’t surprising that Joker received 11 nominations. It’s a hot-button movie with an impressive main performance, and it was decently-directed and scored. Plus, it touches on the “angry loner who rebels against the system” trope that Academy voters love.

Any and all issues I have with this movie aren’t worth reiterating, but I guess some of my problems (not all of them) are my moralist side seeping through; after all, when I stated my frustrations with the film not letting me get into the protagonist’s head because of his awful decisions on Twitter, well…fill in the blanks. Either way, the “discourse” wouldn’t leave me alone for a few days. Go figure: I let loose on something I didn’t care for, and it sparked a conversation.

Regardless of what I may have thought, I definitely find it odd that the movie’s being touted as “under-appreciated”. It’s not. It made big bucks (approximately $1 billion), and while reception was mixed, a lot of people enjoyed it. I wasn’t one of them, but “under-appreciated” it wasn’t. I wouldn’t even call it “underrated”, as that implies that it was trying something interesting that critics didn’t appreciate.

What can I say about Joker? Do I mention how obnoxious its fans have been to me? Do I discuss what it says about film culture that the “angry incel” movie received a plethora of nominations? Do I talk about how Joaquin Phoenix, arguably the best part, was wasted on a mediocre script? Or do I rant about how its connections to the Batman mythos, loose as they are, are its worst parts?

Whatever I can say about Joker, chances are that it won’t do my thoughts justice. For one, time has made me feel even more-indifferent than when I first watched it. Having gone over clips of the movie on YouTube, I’ve noticed how manufactured its shock moments are. I’ve noticed how hollow they ring. The Joker generally murders people left-right-and-centre for fun, not because he has a reason, so him murdering people as cold-blooded statements about society, and not even profound ones, makes the plot-beats feel much hollower than if he were simply a nonsensical sociopath. Nevertheless, his victims in this movie feel somewhat-interchangeable.

Yes, Joker, it’s society’s fault. We live in a society, I’m not dumb. I’ve seen society do a lot of awful to the undeserving. Would you like me to tell you about my disability, and how it limits my ability to find and keep work? Would you like me to tell you how my social skills issues make it hard for me to date? I have many reasons to be mad at society, many legitimate ones. But you don’t see me shooting people over it!

I guess I wouldn’t be so baffled by Joker if it didn’t bang me over the head about issues that are true, but not worth being forceful over. Issues like classism, how the mentally-ill are treated like crap, or how the wealthy hoard their money and don’t share it. These are all legitimate concerns, but they feel wasted. They deserve to be couched in a smarter movie.

And that’s exactly it: I see a smarter movie in Joker, one clamouring to escape. I see the potential to be so much more. But it isn’t in what we got, especially from a director who once thought a decapitated giraffe was funny on its own. Context matters, and Todd Phillips lacks the directorial sensitivity to make that context work.

Perhaps I’m being unfair. I’m sure there are people who enjoyed watching this. I’m sure there are people who found it profound and moving. Who am I to judge them? Who am I to take that away? After all, I was willing to give Joker a chance before learning what it was about, even ignoring the director’s statements about comedy and censorship from the far-left.

On the other hand, maybe not? I’ve come to appreciate that my thoughts on films don’t always align with everyone else: I didn’t think the Star Wars Prequels were the worst movies ever made. I liked Avatar. I still think Cars 2, though heavily-flawed, isn’t nearly as awful as many have claimed. Clearly, being an anomaly isn’t a big deal for me.

But with Joker, a movie that’s sparked such intense debate, I suppose the conversation’s become too much? Like I said, I see seedlings of potential. The idea of watching an outcast adopt a psycho persona isn’t terrible, but it required much more tact. What we got wasn’t that.

As for The Academy? I don’t know. The Academy’s The Academy, they’ve made many decisions I don’t agree with. But regardless of what you think about their stance on Joker, one point’s for certain: we live in a society. Or, rather, we live a society, but that alone isn’t the issue. Take what you will from that.