Joker

Dumb. Gross. Vile. Phony. It’s trying so hard to be “edgy.” Look! He’s not wearing his shirt again! Look how bony he is! Look how slowly he paints on his clown makeup! That’s so creepy and edgy! Everyone knows that the Joker is a super-villain. But to make him a protagonist/anti-hero, there needs to be a dichotomy. A force for good somewhere in the script. There isn’t. So we get to watch a disabled malcontent get his ass kicked for 90 minutes, but we don’t really care about him because even though he’s a clown he’s not interesting and even though he’s a comedian he’s not funny. Does Leaf Phoenix do a good job playing this icky, forgotten, Bernie Goetz-inspired misfit? Sure. But if the “involuntary celibate” weirdo doesn’t redeem himself in anyway, what’s the point? This story needs a hero. Blech!