What is the movie Joker about?

Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver, directed and produced “Joker”. It’s a 2019 American psychological thriller film. In the film, the Joker is played by Joaquin Phoenix. Moreover, it is based on the DC Comics characters. Certainly, the movie tells an alternate origin story for the character. 

About the film

Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and stand-up comedian, is the protagonist. In a fading Gotham City, his fall into insanity and nihilism inspires a violent counter-cultural revolt against the rich.

Pictures, DC Films, and Joint Effort produced Joker in collaboration with Bron Creative and Village Roadshow Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures distributed it.

Phillips came up with the concept for Joker in 2016 and worked with Silver on the script in 2017. The two were influenced by the 1970s character studies. Their other inspiration was Martin Scorsese’s films, who was attached to the project as a producer at the outset.

Cast of Joker

While plot elements from “Batman: The Killing Joke” (1988) and “The Dark Knight Returns” (1986) are loosely adapted in the film, Phillips and Silver did not look to specific comics for inspiration. Phoenix was attached in February 2018 and cast in July of the same year, with the rest of the cast joining in August.

Other than Joaquin Phoenix, the cast include-

• Robert De Niro
• Zazie Beetz
• Frances Conroy
• Brett Cullen
• Glenn Fleshler
• Bill Camp
• Shea Whigham
• Marc Maron

When did the photography start?

From September to December 2018, principal photography took place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark. The Motion Picture Association has given Joker an R-rating, making it the first live-action Batman film to do so.

When was Joker premiered?

At the 76th Venice International Film Festival, Joker was premiered on August 31, 2019. The movie received the Golden Lion in the festival. Later, it was released on October 4, 2019 in the United States. Subsequently, the film received a mixed response from critics.

Above all, Phoenix’s performance, the musical score, and the cinematography were praised. However, the film’s bleak tone, depiction of mental illness, and treatment of violence divided viewers. It also raised fears that it would incite real-life violence. The Aurora, Colorado movie theater where the 2012 Aurora mass shooting occurred during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises declined to show it.

What was the audience reaction to the film?

Despite this, Joker was a big box office smash, breaking records for a movie released in October. Most importantly, it became the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2019 during its theatrical release, becoming the first and only R-rated film to do so.

Joker has won a slew of awards. The film received 11 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards. They include Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, with Phoenix winning Best Actor and Hildur Gunadóttir winning Best Original Score. Phoenix and Gunadóttir both took home honors at the Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards.