Movie Review: Joker

3 stars out of 5

Joker is not your daddy’s superhero movie. It’s a gritty, artsy, psychological exploration for people who wouldn’t know a gritty, artsy, psychological exploration if it bit them on the ass. I served with Marty Scorsese. I knew Marty Scorsese. Marty Scorsese was a friend of mine. Todd Phillips, you’re no Marty Scorsese.

OK, OK, Martin Scorsese doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground, but he’s clearly a major inspiration here: Taxi Driver, sure (“someday a real rain will come…”), but overwhelmingly King of Comedy, right down to casting Rupert Pupkin hisself in the Jerry Lewis-as-Johnny Carson role.

As Pupkin, I mean Pleck, Joaquin Phoenix is reliably unhinged. He lost an awful lot of weight for the role, reminiscent of DeNiro gaining weight for…OH GODDAMNIT. Anyway, Phoenix is fun to watch, though it is not as dynamic a performance as he has delivered in the past, in The Master for example. Perhaps we can blame director Phillips, who wasn’t tasked with coercing such wrenching dramatic portrayals from the cast of the Hangover trilogy.

There are others actors in this film. DeNiro enjoys himself — I laughed aloud when we first see him — but, coincidentally, he has also done better work. Frances Conroy shows up as Joker’s mommy and is convincing as someone who isn’t young. Quality actors Shea Whigham and Bill Camp (police detectives) and Brian Tyree Henry (hospital clerk) are wasted in meaningless parts. Marc Maron shows up for 8 seconds in a role that you — yes, you! — could’ve played just as easily.

Plot-wise, there really isn’t one. It’s an origin story, and those are more often than not quite dull. Especially if stretched to feature length. (I’m looking at you, Daredevil.) A million years ago I went to see Kurt Vonnegut speak, and he advised that if you write a book, carefully compose that first chapter, telling us every single thing we need to know — and then throw that chapter in the garbage. Get right to the meat, to the action.

And one more thing. Without really spoiling anything, mental illness seems to be at the root of the Joker’s behavior. So doesn’t this kind of ruin every future appearance of the character, especially in our enlightened day and age? How can we joyfully root for the Batman to kick Joker’s tail? Shouldn’t be treated compassionately, and with dignity? Not BAM, POW, ZOWEE.

I should’ve picked State Capitals.