E for effort.

Rating: 7/10 (21 October 2019)

It was refreshing watching "Joker" in the theater (AMC Raceway, Westbury, NY). It was really nice watching a movie that took a new approach to (somewhat) familiar material. It was nice seeing a movie that challenges the audience. For the most part, "Joker" succeeds in what it was trying to do. Writer/ director Todd Phillips and company deserve a lot of credit. The best thing about this movie is its look. It really feels like that time and place. The problem that I had with "Joker" is that it seemed to wear out its welcome after a while. Joaquin Phoenix gives a good performance. But if I was supposed to somehow sympathize with his character's plight, I didn't. I didn't really care about him or any of the other characters for that matter. When you watch a movie and don't really care about the people you're watching you can start to lose interest. I didn't look at my watch during "Joker" but I was tempted. Dishonorable mention: a miscast Robert De Niro.