Finally saw "Joker". Most of the film is really interesting, and Joaquin Phoenix does a fantastic buildup. And then, after all that, it seems the film didn't know what it wanted to say, so it got lazy and tried provocative as a hail mary.
Not a bad movie. Not great either.
Not a bad movie. Not great either.
Phoenix is really compelling for about 80% of it, but the climactic scene--the ultimate breaking point--felt phoned in. The violence didn't bother me at all, but the lazy way it was written felt like a letdown. The ending could have been so much better.
I mean... I'll be real with you: any especially bright college freshman could write that screenplay. When in doubt, making it shocking in a serious and deep kinda way. Dramatic sleight-of-hand.
Also: I think I'm being rather generous here given that the director seems to be a massive toolbag who has a lot of weird hangups with the basic concept of respecting others.
