Very intense film. It was a little slow moving at times, but Phoenix was outstanding. Also DeNiro was miscast as a talk show host.
If we were supposed to accept Murray as a Carson-esque figure who appeals to folks all over the US, then yes. But was his show national or just a Gotham-focused affair? I honestly don't remember if the movie told us either way, but if it's a local show in Gotham, I can swallow Murray much more - especially given what a rough place Gotham's supposed to be...
Yeah, I understand that De Niro's there as a Scorsese link, though I think his character is a much more overt nod to "King of Comedy". Still curious to know if Murray's show was national or local...
I have to admit that one of the few Scorsese films I haven't seen is King of Comedy. I should probably rectify this!
It's not his best, but it's got merit. Given that De Niro's character was obsessed with a TV talk show host, it's incredibly on the nose to cast De Niro as the same kind of apple of Arthur's eye. Maybe a little too on the nose, honestly - it's such a cutesy casting choice that I'm not wild about it. That said, the filmmakers were gonna get compared to "KoC" anyway, so I guess they figured if they were gonna do the time, they might as well do the crime!
I’ve never seen it either. Jerry Lewis has kept me away like a scarecrow in a cornfield and I was a crow.
Why? Great movie and Jerry is great in it. Jerry Lewis has his best moments when he plays it straight. For example, I absolutely love the original Nutty Professor. Why? Man, when he becomes "Buddy Love," that's a Jerry I've never seen before. Not the clown anymore, but a real glimpse into maybe how the man really was. Cool, good looking, strong, etc.
I think this film is brilliant. Works as a stand-alone story. Is genuinely creepy and disturbing. Every last 80s Gotham detail is perfect imho. Phoenix’s performance is stunning. You are never sure what’s real or what’s funny, and that makes it utterly compelling and modern.
I thought the first half was a little slow going, but once it picks up steam, you really get sucked in. Phoenix is the Man, I will watch any film he is in.
Finally saw this today. As always, superb acting by Joachim. It was impossible to take your eyes off him. He is just as convincing when he is being tender with his mother as when he is viciously attacking someone. And he captured that awkward, creepy, uncomfortable manner of his character as he transformed into Joker perfectly. Creepy, dark, disturbed, so disturbed that it was scary at moments. And his physical transformation was impressive, appearing to be a shell of what we had seen of him before. The direction was incredible, too. The two hours flew by, with each scene seamlessly flowing into the next. No dead spots. I particularly liked that this was a character study, not a superhero movie. The Joker is humanized, we get to learn why he is the way he is and at times it is easy to understand his warped point of view, even if you don't agree with his methods.
I think like any good piece of art it is going to try to make you feel something and hopefully even challenge you . I think the movie divides people along these lines — there are some people that can find it in their heart to empathize with Arthur and there are some that feel that you should never empathize with anyone like that, that doing so somehow means there’s something wrong with you. After seeing this film I personally felt like the filmmaker was trying to say that world would be a much better place if there was more love and compassion in it. That’s basically what I took away from it.
It's a pretty clear message that society needs to do more to support the mentally ill - it's practically a PSA at times!
Finally had time to see the movie tonight, and I initially thought the first 2/3 was just depressing and not great, but it really picked up speed once Joker got on the Carson -- excuse me, the "Murray Franklin" show -- I thought it was really amazing, twisted, and went into unexpected directions. I actually had no idea it was going to be so overtly political. I loved the late-1970s/early-1980s touches: they got all the microphones, TV sets, VCRs, monitors, and the sights and sounds of NYC right for that era. Phoenix' performance has been highly-praised all over the place, and I was amazed it was as intense and completely insane as it was. The movie is very much a mish-mash of Taxi Driver and some twisted version of Batman (as others have said before), with a dash of King of Comedy and a little bit of Network, but I can see where some would be repelled by the unrelenting bleakness. I've seen the Joker origin story many times, in comic books and on the TV shows and in movies, but this radically different take was very interesting. I understand now why the movie is on the road to making $600+ million dollars in theaters: the film clearly has struck a chord with the audience.
Yes and beyond the obvious messaging around mental health and everyone’s responsibility for it, I felt like through it’s depiction of societal degeneration he was saying generally we could all stand to treat each other a little better. At one point doesn’t Arthur say something like there’s no civility or common decency ?
Yes, to follow-up on what @neo123 says above: ‘Joker’ Will Top $900 Million As Biggest R-Rated Film In History I never in my life would've predicted that Joker could make $900 million dollars. It's a downbeat, weird, twisted film without any superheroes in it. And it's also very political and violent, very much R-rated. But I often say, any movie that I'm still thinking about several days after I saw it clearly had an effect on me, and it shows what a powerful film it was. I bet Warner Bros. is going to really rethink their entire superhero thing and maybe consider going more in a "Joker" direction than the previous "Man of Steel" direction.
The only truly "reprehensible" part of Falling Down was the cop-out ending (kinda like Red State). There's plenty of blame to go around on all sides these days if you look at things dispassionately.
I was pretty appalled at the way (some of) the audience were laughing during some of the most disturbing scenes.
