LIFE LESSONS FROM A JOKER

LIFE LESSONS FROM A JOKER

source:google image

Directed by Todd Phillips

Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz

MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images

Running time: 2 hours, 2 minutes

“What do you get when you cross a mentally ill person with a society that abandons them?” – Joker

So many damn Jokers.

With Todd Phillips’ latest flick, Joker we have yet another harlequin to throw on the stack. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker, the story, this time, dives into the creation and back story of what would become the infamous Batman adversary. The focus being the role society plays in this creation by turning a blind eye to those in need.

source:google image

“Imagine it - ME on the telly.” – Joker

To be clear, it is surprising to me how much time is being invested in a film, that by next year we won’t even recall coming out. People need to get their priorities straight. There is more to life than a clown movie.

Which brings me to the meaning of this film. The message in this two hour tale was clear to me: People don’t care about other people. Society, which is defined as: “the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.” Everyone is out for themselves, which is causing others to be left behind. Especially those that are battling mental illness.

source:google image

“I used to think my life was a tragedy - now I think it is a f*cking comedy.” –Joker

Before I crawl in my coffin for the final rest, I am sure there will be twenty to thirty more jesters that come my way. So many damn Jokers. Joaquin’s Joker, although I don’t condone his actions, I understand how he got to this point. This was not a character asking for compassion, he was trying to get by and attempting to make it within a society that had no concern to help him.

The saddest part about this movie is that Joaquin will be known for his portrayal as a clown instead of being remembered for his incredible portrayal in Lynne Ramsay’s movie. If I learned anything from the Joker it is: people love a spectacle, especially the media.

source:google image

From my opinion,

Love it or hate it, the Joker movie presents a tempting fantasy.

Many critics and early viewers have responded to Joker with loathing, because that fantasy is so selfish and solipsistic. By dismissing the world as imbalanced at best, outright malicious at worst, Phillips is enabling his viewers’ worst and most destructive impulses. “I just don’t want to feel so bad anymore,” Arthur says plaintively at one point. He’s a relatable kind of villain, harmless and sad — not an Everyman, but an audience avatar for the downtrodden. And then be models a way to not be harmless anymore. That doesn’t necessarily make Joker a call to action, or an invitation to real-life violence. But it does represent a horrifying form of invitation — not just a call to sympathize with the devil, but a full-blown justification for the hell he creates.