Jokes on us

Rating: 2/10 (9 October 2019)

Horribly shallow, derivative and repugnant. Dramatically flawed - actually the story of the mother told through the excruciatingly telescoped lens of the son. In the process it vilifies just about everyone (but no points for consistency because if they'd had the guts, a struggle with sexuality might have actually made it interesting {I can't help thinking the thought was on Joaquin's mind but the film declared otherwise}). One of the profound master strokes of Ledger's portrayal was to specifically preclude the need of an origin story yet like so many the need to have that incredible manifestation explained willed me to my seat for the whole acrid, eat-all-your-stinky-seventies-references-or-there's-no-dessert duration. What is eventually slopped out in response to the riddle of the joker (I promise to take that no further) however is so remarkably banal that it better serves to illuminate the gluttonous, exploitative villainy of the corporations behind the production. That said, production values were decent although I couldn't help comparing the dim cinematography to the exquisitely stark visions of the Nolan movies.