JOKER is uneven, unfocused, and trying so say so many different things that it ends up saying nothing at all...and that's the point.

Rating: 6/10 (4 October 2019)

JOKER is uneven, unfocused, and trying so say so many different things that it ends up saying nothing at all...and that's the point. Except, the thing is, I don't believe for a second that director Todd Phillips is capable of pulling that off on purpose. This movie totally feels like a stoner comedy director trying to remake Taxi Driver or The King of Comedy; it completely lacks any unique artistic flare, but at least the flare it's ripping off is great. I believe the film's accidental success is thanks to editor Jeff Groth creating a solid movie out of a mess.
If your personal movie database is made up of only popular movies or no movies made before the late 90s, Joker will feel like a masterpiece; however, if you're a cinema connoisseur, the movie will range between pretty good & meh. It's entertaining and you won't have wasted your time seeing it. You may not exactly enjoy yourself during the first half of the movie, but it all pays off eventually. You absolutely will leave the movie satisfied.
This movie does successfully accomplish what all great movies should: you will have a lot to think about when it ends. It'll take time before you decide whether you liked it or not.
Viewing the film strictly as its own movie, it's mostly pretty good. It's a great character study of what can turn a man into a psychopath...though it's nothing new, but at least it does it well.
As a comic book movie, however, it's a complete & utter travesty that wipes its ass with the legacy of one of the most iconic characters in history...except for the saving grace of it final couple minutes before the credits role, that the average movie goer, unfortunately, simply will not understand.
Phoenix's performance in this movie will become a thing of legend. Theater schools will study his acting for decades. He'll be nominated for all the awards (of course, in a year where most of the oscar buzz is revolving around Adam Sandler...yes, really!) Phoenix is absolutely mesmerizing and even if you hate the movie, you'll want to be able to tell your grandchildren that you saw this performance in theaters. It's right there next to DeNiro's Travis Bickle (from the movie this one is trying to be).
Of course, like all hack directors, only the lead character has an arc, while everyone else is completely one-dimensional; which is a shame, since it's a cast of incredible actors.
All-in-all, this is another case of one of history's all-time greatest performances wasted in an entertaining, but forgettable movie.