The Joker Explanation NO ONE Is Talking About
Both Philips and Joaquin Phoenix have said they had a blast on set, joking away from the cameras, only to switch gears and film scenes that - to us - are incredibly intense to watch.
Couple this with Phoenix's Telegraph interview with Robbie Collin, where after being asked about the movie empowering “exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results”, he walked out.
The reason? Joaquin said he “panicked, because the question genuinely hadn’t crossed his mind before”, and for me, that's the smoking gun.
Todd Philips, Scott Silver and Joaquin Phoenix made a movie that was culturally reflective. Philips is clearly outspoken about what you can and can't joke about, and Joaquin is fascinated by celebrity culture and idolisation, having dedicated months of his time convincing the world he was becoming a rapper in 2009, replete with 50 pounds of weight gain and footage of him falling off stage during a performance.
He even rekindled this idea of playing with what's real and staged on Jimmy Kimmel when promoting Joker, as some "leaked footage" of him getting angry at a stage hand was "sent in" to Kimmel by Philips, and Joaquin reacted by being incredibly embarrassed, asking the segment to move on.
All of this - primarily both Todd's comments and the mindsets Joaquin has shown in the past - let you into what they were going for with Joker, and it wasn't an academic dissection of austerity, inequality, mental health or kindness. At least not to me.
Joker is a movie about the state of comedy in the modern day; an acknowledgement of just how far the "celebrity stand-up" has fallen, and how - if someone like Joker was to take the microphone and proclaim everything up for grabs - there would be flocks of people ready to line up.
This latter idea is what makes the final few scenes of the movie so utterly terrifying and powerful. Somewhat sickening given the comparison with riots and upturning civility to make a point, but if you want a visual metaphor for embracing a rebellious, dangerous comedic figure, look no further.
Cont.