Joker: No Laughing Matter!

I didn't think there would be a film as depressing as "Judy" in 2019, but I was wrong!  At least up to now, by far the most depressing film of the year is "Joker," co-written and directed by Todd Phillips (ironically of "Hangover" fame).  It's not really a comic book movie, but the rather serious back-story of how Arthur Fleck evolved into the Joker. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a severely mentally-ill man.  In my professional opinion, he is probably a paranoid schizophrenic with underlying malignant narcissistic personality traits.  He is taking 7 psychotropic medications, but they don't seem to help him to function or to feel any better.  He lives in squalor and poverty with his mother,Penny (Frances Conroy), in a dingy, run-down Gotham City apartment.  She has told Arthur that his father is none other than the rich and powerful Adam Wayne (Bruce Wayne's/Batman's father) and that she has appealed to Adam for some financial help.  Arthur has a low-paying job as a clown who goes out in the field to places such as hospitals to cheer up sick children.  He isn't friends with any of the other clowns who work for the company, and he gets bullied and picked on by everyone.  To make things even worse, he has no social skills and has a frequent, uncontrollable, inappropropriate laugh.  Arthur's only hope is to one day be a successful stand-up comedian.  He also is attracted to his pretty neighbor, Sophie (Zazie Beetz). Arthur's mental health clinic closes due to lack of funding, so he loses his access to his medications and he unravels even more.  He has tremendous rage for the way he has been treated his whole life and the injustices he experiences daily.   All this occurs within the backdrop of a Gotham City about to erupt due to the rising tension between the haves and the have-nots.  Inevitably, Arthur becomes violent and even more crazy, but, as Joker, he also becomes a celebrity symbol for the downtrodden. The film is a showcase for Joaquin Phoenix much like "Judy" was for Renee Zellweger.  I think Phoenix over-acts, so I don't think it's an AAW performance, but he still did a nice job conveying Arthur's agony.  The film is depressing and difficult to watch, but the screenplay is good and Gotham City is portrayed very convincingly.  It will work fine as a rental, but it's better on the big screen. Bottom Line: "Joker" is a good movie, but you probably won't enjoy yourself much.