Put on a happy face

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2019)

First and foremost, let me begin this review by giving thanks and praise for the team that helped put this together, not to mention the incredibly mind blowing performance from Phoenix himself. I can go out of my way and say that this film makes up for all the rest of the trash that has been released in theaters in 2019. I will say this. I was caught a bit off guard at how intense, and how violent the film was, and I was also caught off guard at how sad and depressing it was. But it was deep, and I'm perfectly content with it all. I was also caught a bit off guard at the direction the story went, however, I'm fine with that, because everything here works. The cinematography was great. The emotional depth is credible. And the feel of it all is jaw dropping. The feeling of isolation, abandonment, lonliness, and mental illness itself is the focus and approach for Joker, a movie that finally gives us some insight on how Joker became who he is. When you think of Gotham, you think of Batman, and his real name is Bruce Wayne. What's the Jokers real name? We just know him as Joker, and he's a bad guy, right? Meet Arthur Fleck. He seems on the surface an odd character, who bounces his knees a lot, can't seem to sit still or quiet, and has major outbursts of laughter. Inside, though, he's just like the rest of us. He has the same wants and needs, he just wants to work and get paid just like the rest of us, he just wants to live like the rest of us....but he's NOT just like the rest of us. For that, he's pretty much shunned upon by the bulk of Gotham. The only ones who seem to be okay with him is his mother, whom he lives with, and a woman he met on the elevator with a child, who believes the building is "awful". Meanwhile, Gotham is in sad shape, with its workers on strike, and trash and rats are piling up fast. On the brink of turmoil, and every avenue he pursues seems roadblocked, Arthur doesn't really have a lot going for him. Even his comedic acts are shunned upon, instead of getting people to laugh, he becomes a laughingstock, and is invited on a TV show, hosted by a talk show host he imagined as his friend. It seems, deep inside, Arthur just wants to be loved. Who wouldn't? What do you do when you feel like the whole world doesn't understand, or worse, doesn't care. This sets the concrete foundation of Joker, and from there, we bravely build a new story, bringing the spotlight to Joker himself, without the feeling of this film being a reboot or following any footsteps that have already been traveled. Where's the problem? I don't see one. It's unique, the film is deep, and more then anything, Phoenix steals the show as Arthur/Joker. It made me cry more then it made me laugh, and maybe that was the whole intent. A movie that begs you to understand your not alone in this fight in life. There's a Arthur/Joker inside all of us.