a nonpolitical film about politics??

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2020)

What a muddled experience. it kind of seems like a joke for writer/director Todd Phillips to say the story isnt political when it deals with matters of classism and mental illness as well as societal behavior. what we get is a very confused film that wants to have the fangs to shock you, but shaves off any meaningful edge it has by ignoring the broader implications of its clearly political themes.
this could have been a truly powerful and unforgettable film in the hands of someone who wasnt afraid to get political but in the hands of Todd Phillips it just feels vague and empty. there are several shots that are so powerful and evocative they feel almost out of place, and from a deeper film. one unafraid to say something about the current state of the world. the result is not commentary but basic statements. the film states that rich people are privileged but never comments on this in anything other than a base surface level. the film states that mentally ill people are misunderstood but never comments on it, just merely depicts it. as the film goes on it gets extremely frustrating just how many times this film comes close to commenting on something real before copping out.
people complain about how safe marvel films and the new star wars trilogy feels but i think its interesting that when it comes to something so overtly political, no one seems upset that this film played it so safe. and i laugh at the idea that any news publication thought this would bring about some sort of uprising when all it really did was just give basic iconography to rioters across the globe and its literally just because of a riot scene, nevermind that the scene itself says NOTHING other than "CLASSISM BAD!", no commentary on the capitalist system that created this, no commentary on privilege, just a riot against rich people. can you imagine enough people getting this organized to protest against the existence of Elon Musk? seems silly right? hopefully now you understand what my point is.
i think Todd Phillips talking about trying not to be political, as well as talking about how you can't do comedy these days because of "PC culture" just shows that he's a coward afraid of saying anything meaningful because he might face backlash. does this sound like someone who should be helming a film about everyone's favorite anarchist? would the joker be afraid of people's outrage? you tell me.