Spot on with the formulaic plot construction, but I don't see many attempts to be clever. Maybe the blending of some of Art's delusional fantasies with reality, but a lot of that stuff was pretty well prefaced with the talk show delusional episode. There are subtle points, such as the social commentary being somewhat politically neutral and ambiguous, but still pointed and quite sobering.
I think the stand up aspiriations are pretty critical to understanding Joker's torment. He intends, even longs simply to bring joy and laughter into the lives of others, and is greeted instead with derision and rejection. Being a clown and seen as a fool is one thing, but as a stand up comedian there is no face paint and red nose to hide behind. Its just you up there, and the rejection and embarassment is far more personal.
Couple that with Arthur being off his meds and the mother's story arc, the revelations and subsequent disassociation with his identity as a well-meaning incel mama's boy, and I think we have the makings of a psychopath like the Joker. That might make the whole Norman Bates-esque mother aspect a bit more than just a rehashed trope. Without it, what's left for a back story?
Agreed 100% with the depiction of violence, it is sudden, visceral and disturbing, and is one of few things that reminds the audience that Joker is a villain. The unraveling of Gotham and its society into a burning, chaotic mess is not entirely his making, but mostly circumstantial. Maybe the "pre-Giuliani" state of Gotham could have been developed a bit more, those angry mobs did seem to pop up out of nowhere. Just a little bit.
Overall, I think Todd Phillips acquits himself quite well. For me, this is memorable, which isn't something I could say about any of the Avengers, Spiderman, Iron Man etc. films.
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I think the stand up aspiriations are pretty critical to understanding Joker's torment. He intends, even longs simply to bring joy and laughter into the lives of others, and is greeted instead with derision and rejection. Being a clown and seen as a fool is one thing, but as a stand up comedian there is no face paint and red nose to hide behind. Its just you up there, and the rejection and embarassment is far more personal.
Couple that with Arthur being off his meds and the mother's story arc, the revelations and subsequent disassociation with his identity as a well-meaning incel mama's boy, and I think we have the makings of a psychopath like the Joker. That might make the whole Norman Bates-esque mother aspect a bit more than just a rehashed trope. Without it, what's left for a back story?
Agreed 100% with the depiction of violence, it is sudden, visceral and disturbing, and is one of few things that reminds the audience that Joker is a villain. The unraveling of Gotham and its society into a burning, chaotic mess is not entirely his making, but mostly circumstantial. Maybe the "pre-Giuliani" state of Gotham could have been developed a bit more, those angry mobs did seem to pop up out of nowhere. Just a little bit.
Overall, I think Todd Phillips acquits himself quite well. For me, this is memorable, which isn't something I could say about any of the Avengers, Spiderman, Iron Man etc. films.