Pain Lies Behind the "Joker" Smile

With how much comic books have degraded the art of film (sorry, it's true), it is easy to forget why so many people were attracted to comic book characters in the first place. The reason comic book characters resonate so well with many of us at a young age is because they are some of the first pieces of literature we are introduced to complex concepts and themes we would otherwise not be introduced to until further down the line. X-Men introduced young readers to the plight of the Civil Rights movement and there is certainly a case to be made that those with anger management issues are bound to relate to the Hulk.

Joker is a unique character in that his history has always been a little vague. He loves causing chaos and torture but doesn't sweat getting caught because it's all about the game to him. This not only leaves room for an artist to invent whatever backstory he wants to, but in the case of Todd Phillips's "Joker," it is a chance to explore why a man like Joker would exist in the first place. The titular character is played by Joaquin Phoenix, who is not a criminal mastermind but rather a sad individual who is struggling just to make ends meet.

While he does spend a few moments of free time working on a standup routine (with jokes that don't exactly land), most of his days are spent working low-paying jobs that he can't keep while taking care of a mother who seems obsessed with the idea that a billionaire running for mayor will eventually step in and save them from their current situation. He needs help. His mother more than needs help. Financially and mentally both are in a world of hurt. Yet the government is not stepping in to help. In fact, the social worker that is assigned to him is being let go, and in her frustration, she tells Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) that the government doesn't care about either of them, so he likely will not be getting the help he needs.

Like many of us, he is a victim of a system that does not know what to do with him. He is looking for some form of happiness but has nothing to hold onto except for illusions of grandeur. His only happiness seems to come from watching the late-night talk show host (played by Robert de Niro) and imagining that the two share a special bond. They will meet at some point, but unexpectedly when the comedian sees a tape of Fleck bombing at standup and uses the opportunity to bring the poor man on his show so that America can make fun of him some more.

While that may be good for ratings, what does that kind of attention do to a man already being beaten up on the street so some punks can take his 'Going out of Business' sign (which isn't even his to begin with)? Before this movie came out Martin Scorsese made some comments where he said he believed that superhero movies were more like theme park rides than movies, as while they delivered thrills and fun, they rarely made audiences think much about what they were watching. In this sense, "Joker" is miles ahead of the competition.

Those who walk into this not realizing it is a movie about a Batman villain likely won't even pick up on this fact for much of the movie (and, no, Batman isn't in this). The film is about a broken man who has a whole slew of problems and no way to deal with them. Society wants to help, I'm sure, but it does not know what to do with a man like Arthur Fleck, and would rather push him aside until he acts out in a way that hurts everyone. Leading up to the release many journalists and activists worried that the movie would be seen as a way to justify white incel rage and that the movie would inspire riots (I heard similar concerns about Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" back in the day; not sure if anyone learned not to take things so seriously).

How little these people know: "Joker" is the kind of movie that could help people understand one another a little more, and the film explores how we as a society fail men like Arthur Fleck, and in a way, we create our own Jokers that we only want to deal with when it is too late to help (yet are outraged when they resort to desperate measures). While we are all masters of our own destiny, sometimes we find ourselves in a hole we can't dig ourselves out of. If help is nowhere to be found and the person becomes desperate, what does that look like? In real life, it's hard to predict, while in "Joker" it looks like a cry for help, one that comes in the form of a painful, agonizing laugh.