Why I Won’t Be Seeing the New Joker Movie
On Sunday night Busy Philipps shared a photo of herself on Instagram with extremely runny black eye makeup streaming down her face and the caption: “Tbh, this is as close as I’m probably ever gonna get to seeing The Joker.” Despite the supervillain movie taking in $96 million domestically on its opening weekend, breaking box-office records and debuting at number one at the box office, I have to say same, because in recent weeks the movie has become a rallying point for aggrieved white guys, both inside Hollywood and out.
My personal bristling began with its star, Joaquin Phoenix, whom I loved so much in Walk the Line, walking out of an interview with the Telegraph in late September, after being asked if the violent, R-rated Joker—which is roundly being called a “sympathetic” portrait of a mass murderer—could itself encourage violence. Specifically the reporter asked if Joker could “perversely end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results,” at which point Phoenix left the interview for an hour. Upon his return the actor still didn’t quite answer the question. He explained, though, per the Telegraph, that he’d panicked because he hadn’t previously considered the issue.
The exchange amounted to both a failure of preparation—sadly, in the midst of a national gun-violence epidemic, this isn’t an unlikely question—and a bit of entitlement. How dare the Telegraph press an absurdly talented white male actor and expect an answer, when that is, um, the precise definition of a promotional interview? Surely an acknowledgment of the concerns (including from the families of the victims of the 2012 movie-theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado) and a thoughtful, nuanced response about the countless other factors that can lead to gun violence would have been more respectful?
Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, issued an emphatic statement on September 24: “Make no mistake: Neither the fictional character Joker nor the film is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers, or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.” But the studio still doubled down on avoiding the media a few days later when it banned print and broadcast journalists from covering both the Hollywood premiere and the New York Film Festival screening of Joker. “Our red carpet is comprised of photographers only,” a studio spokesperson told Variety. “A lot has been said about Joker, and we just feel it’s time for people to see the film.” Far be it for anyone to feel like the makers of this movie just wanted to make an exceedingly violent film but not have to talk about it, goddamnit.
Joker director Todd Phillips, whose credits include The Hangover and Old School, subsequently offered a glimpse at how (some white, male) people were feeling behind the scenes when he told Vanity Fair that he pivoted to Joker because “woke culture” has ruined his ability to be funny. “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the fucking funny guys are like, ‘Fuck this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’” Wild guess who joined Philips in decrying PC culture? Toxic fans, some of whom took the time to send misogynistic tweets to critics who were not entirely sold on the movie. Another, in New York, reportedly cheered and applauded during onscreen murder scenes, prompting other viewers to leave the theater. Two men were arrested at a Chicago showing after smoking and causing a “loud disturbance.” An overall skittishness seemed to underlie opening weekend, as security was increased at some theaters; one, in Tennessee, banned Joker costumes.
Like Busy Philipps, I was already not planning to see Joker—it’s doing very well without me anyway, with its bumper box-office haul and international prizes—but this decision was cemented on Monday with reports that convicted pedophile Gary Glitter could potentially earn royalties from the film, since his 1972 hit “Rock and Roll Part 2” plays in one scene while the Joker dances outside his Gotham City apartment. White male entitlement, media bans, eye-rolling at “woke culture,” and more cash for a sexual predator about settles it for me. Downtown Abbey movie, anyone?
Originally Appeared on Vogue
