"Put on a Happy Face"

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2020)

Todd Phillips's interpretation of the Joker and Gotham City is my favorite representation I have seen. While I thoroughly enjoyed this film there were some issues I had with it. I thought that the movie had too long of a build-up, I felt like most of the movie I was just waiting for something to happen, but the story was laid out in a way that only allowed for excitement at the end. I would recommend allowing more opportunity to captivate and catch the audience early. Phillips directed and helped produce Joker and he did a great job of it. Joker was a big shift for Phillips from his cheesy comedies like the Hangover series. Casting the famous Robert De Niro and the relatively unknown Joaquin Phoenix was crucial for this film. After his amazing show of acting skill in Joker, Phoenix demonstrated that he has earned his place in future major acting roles. While costume design is often a forgotten part of films, Mark Bridges proves that costume design is important with his detailed work in Joker.
Arthur Fleck or as he is known later in the film "Joker", is a mentally unstable man living in the slums of Gotham City. Arthur's day job is a clown for hire and by night he is at home taking care of his mother and watching Murray Franklin who is the Jimmy Fallon of their time. One day Arthur gets fired from his clown job for misconduct during a performance at a children's hospital. Getting fired from his job mixed with his mother having health issues sends Arthur into a downward spiral. Arthur goes off his medication for his mental illness and starts to lose his sanity, believing that his life is no longer a tragedy, but a comedy.
The main cause of Arthur's situation is the current conditions in Gotham City. There is a big divide between the rich and the poor. The poor are left to watch as their public services get slashed and there living conditions deteriorate quickly. The tension in the city is as high as ever and the poor are ready to riot at the drop of a pin. Three Wallstreet bankers are shot and killed on the subway by a mysterious clown. People believe that this is a purposeful statement, and start to dress like clowns and riot throughout the city.
Todd Phillips did a very good job directing this film. It was a big turn around from his previous films such as the hangover series. His expedition of directing and writing a phycological thriller was a huge success for him. I think this film established him as a serious director that has earned respect in the industry and demonstrated that he can direct award-winning movies. Also, he shot one of the most famous scenes in modern film on the stairs in New York City.
The acting in this movie is what really sets it apart from other Joker movies and captivates audiences. Joaquin Phoenix really demonstrated his acting abilities in Joker. From the start of the film, you could tell how much time Phoenix put into getting ready for this film. Arthur as a character really changed and developed throughout this film and I think that it was because of the way that Joaquin Phoenix represented him, making his emotion come to life. I think that this display of acting proves Joaquin Phoenix's skills and shows why he deserves an Oscar for his performance.
Costumes and makeup were a huge part of this film. The whole movie revolved around the clown face, it was the main theme of the movie that brought people together and gave Joker his identity. For these reasons, it was crucial that the film had a good makeup and costume department, and they very much succeeded in this. The art department was able to give Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) so many different looks. It started him off as a sad-looking clown for hire that was down on himself, and throughout the movie transformed his look as Arthur transformed as a character, making his costume always match where he is in the movie. Also, there were so many clowns they had to differentiate Joker from all the other, which they did.
I went into Joker not expecting to enjoy the movie as much as people told me I would because creepy mind twisting movies arent what I like. That being said Joker turned out to be one of my favorite movies, the main thing that caused me to love it is the acting. Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Joker is one of the best displays of acting I have ever seen. Phoenix has such a convincing, emotional, and captivating that this movie could have been a documentary about a mentally unstable clown. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, it is something that is so good it can be enjoyed by any type of moviegoer.