Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

Joker (2019)

Directed by Todd Phillips

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy

Author

Artsy, weird, intense, disturbing. We’ve never seen a superhero movie as dark and twisted as this one. Beautifully shot. There is some magic here.

Great character study. Joker is solidly developed with rich backstory, his descent into crazy is wonderfully paced and deep. This is the first act of a much larger story, would be extremely surprised if there are no sequels here. I wonder if he’ll face off against Robert Pattinson as the new Batman.

Phoenix rocks it, a real actor’s performance and deserving of the Oscar. That maniacal laugh was tortured and perfect. Like Murray’s teeth. Did De Niro have them done in real life or just for the movie?

True inspiration came from the equally haunting The Man Who Laughs, perfect as that was one of the inspirations for the original Joker. For some reason, I found the laminated laughter card eerie as hell. Interesting choice to set the movie in a period that seems to be the 80s.

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