Final Rating: 2.5/5
Buckle up puddin’! Writer/director Vera Drew’s unique spin of the ‘Clown Prince of Crime’ combines elements of Todd Philips’ Joker (in some cases almost exact shots) and tosses in a parody Scorsese line at the start, in case there was any confusion who they were parroting. The entire thing is about as subtle as a blow from Harley Quinn’s mallet, and every bit as flamboyant and outlandish as one would expect a subversive Joker narrative to be, leaving any pretence of nuance in a cloud of fluorescent dust.
Skewering MAGA (though never using said name) and other right wing beliefs, as well as the nature of comedy itself, the narrative is as we’re told “a queer coming of age story” and aptly juxtaposes the origins of DC characters as a launching point to weave that journey. It uses a mix of animation and even some other practical effects to tell the story, giving it a very cartoonish vibe (which doesn’t feel out of place). It also makes no bones to hide its social commentary, ie: early on there’s a drug commercial for a Smylex so a man’s wife can smile more and be happy, for his sake.
They thank Joel Schumacher at the beginning of the film, and use Nicole Kidman and Val Kilmer by name in discussing Batman and our protagonist’s sexual awakening (the infamous bat nipples highlighted because, why not?).
While I’m certain there’s a ton of truth to how people react to trans individuals coming out, like her mother being more concerned with her own feelings, or the male friend that asks if he’s a (insert homophobic slur here), because if he was, said friend couldn’t handle it. All these moments are presented in an incredibly heavy handed way.
As a child, Young Joker played by Griffin Kramer (their birth name is bleeped out anytime mentioned until it is used as a slur when a character deadnames them intentionally), is brought to Doctor Crane (a name Bat fans will no doubt recognize), played by Christian Calloway, and given Smylex, a mind altering gas which of course only exacerbates the ‘problem’.
As Joker the Harlequin (Vera Drew) ages and moves out of Smallville we discover more of Gotham including Batman universe characters like Lex Luthor, the Penguin (Nathan Faustyn), Bane, a non-binary Poison Ivy (Ruin Carroll), Catwoman, the Riddler (Trevor Drinkwater) and Ra’s Al Gul (David Liebe Hart) who is a crass stand-up comedian, podcaster, and as our protagonist describes, an overall “shitty miserable person”, but as we’re told “most comedians are shitty miserable people, so it’s cool”.
Joker the Harlequin moves to Gotham to join UCB: United Clown Bureau (A Saturday Night Live mock up – complete with a Lorne Michaels stand in). Wayne Enterprises is also present, and in part responsible for the military style regulation (including outlawing comedy) that exists in this version of Gotham.
There are call backs to some famous Batman comics, and the Suicide Squad version of the Joker known as Mr. J, played by Kane Distler. Mr. J is a trans man whom Batman groomed when they were Robin bringing to light complaints people have about Bruce Wayne constantly adopting teenage boys. Our protagonists fall in love, however, their relationship soon turns abusive, leading to Joker the Harlequin’s search for a solution.
While there are some funny bits, most of the humour and dialogue is too on the nose to be truly clever, including #MeToo jokes about Bill Cosby and Louis CK, with the punchline being – you know before the unpleasantness, or other ‘gems’ such as “Balls are always funny!”. Those who will defend it will say it’s in the movie’s nature itself, as they start an anti-comedy troop so as not to get in trouble with the government and this is meant to lampoon the comedy establishment.
Thing is, there’s a way to do that which is far wittier (ie. Jim Abrahams, RIP) than presented here. There’s undoubtedly veracity to the commentary it’s making, including the oft sexist nature of comedy and how women are perceived in that space, but much of it is akin to someone telling you why something is funny, rather than being smartly written.
The strongest moments are when it’s more serious, like when the relationship between Joker the Harlequin and her mother (an old fashioned small town woman) who comes to accept her as the film progresses, or the examination of toxic relationships. The movie’s at its best when it focuses on the human side of the story and what the characters are dealing with, rather than jokes that don’t work and rehashing lines from other (mostly DC) films. While it will no doubt find an audience, and I imagine it will become a cult hit, as far as reaching a wider audience it’s far too inconsistent to be a great film.
Thank you to Touchwood PR and MUBI for the screener.
