The People's Joker

Wow - what can one say about this wild, woolly, wigged-out spoof of superhero movies in which the protagonist is an edgy, crusading transgender harlequin comedian fighting the power structure of a corrupt, narrow-minded society? That description alone is pretty wacky in itself, but, as the finished product shows, its depiction on screen is even more bizarre and outrageous. Writer-actor-director Vera Drew's debut feature is simultaneously an exercise in the outlandish that's part high camp, part in-your-face irreverence, part alternative sexuality manifesto and part love letter to the Batman mythology turned on its ear. This story of a small-town boy's transgender awakening as a springboard to finding a new life in the wilds of Gotham City's underground comedy scene tells an off-the-wall, often-frenetically paced, sometimes-sentimental tale that defies conventional classification. Its inventive mix of live action, motion capture photography and animation serves up a unique viewing experience unlike anything most audiences have ever seen, including among most seasoned cinephiles. It also delivers some positively scathing one-liners and wicked sight gags that will leave many thinking "I can't believe they just did that!" Collectively, it makes for the kind of picture that will likely earn this production cult movie status and a guaranteed spot on midnight show movie lineups. Despite its many inspired cinematic innovations, however, the narrative occasionally tends toward overzealous self-indulgence and cryptic ideologies that appear to be employed simply to carry the story forward, making for a production that seems to be trying too hard just to see how much of a stunned reaction it can get from the audience. It has also come under some scrutiny for pushing the limits of fair use issues and acceptable propriety boundaries, elements that raised the eyebrows of some critics and of those who created the source materials from which this work draws (but that have also subsequently added to the picture's undeniable allure). Nevertheless, if you're looking for something that's part DC Comics, part John Waters, part "Liquid Sky" (1982), part "Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975), and part exploration of the unknown and untried, this one might be right up your alley. But, if you're put off by such an eclectic blend of satire, social commentary, visual imagery and heretical rumination, don't say you weren't warned.

Now this is a movie that I heard buzz about before it started. I saw the title and had no idea that this was a parody of DC properties. There was a disclaimer in the beginning of this wild ride. The last bit was that this seems like one that Nightmares Film Festival was trying to get for bit and finally did. I got to see this for the Midwest premiere.

We are following Joker the Harlequin (Vera Drew). She goes about telling her story about how she was born as a boy, thought she might be in the wrong body and how her mother, Lynn Downey, took her to see Dr. Jonanthan Crane (Christian Calloway). She leads her into this dystopian world to Gotham where comedy is outlawed. Together with The Penguin (Nathan Faustyn) they start an anti-comedy troupe with Poison Ivy (voiced by Ruin Carroll), The Riddler (Trevor Drinkwater) and Mr. J (Kane Distler). This is an origin as well as a coming-of-age story as to how Joker the Harlequin changes the world.

This is a wild movie. It is a parody while also having a great message here. The depth of knowledge that co-writer/director Drew has along with Bri LeRose into the DC universe is great. There are so many references that I noticed and I'd bet there are even more that I missed. Not only that though, to take these things and mold them into a satire of the world we live in is great. Showcasing how Joaquin Phoenix's Joker isn't someone we should idolize or the same for Jared Leto's take from Suicide Squad. I'm just scratching the surface with what this is doing.

Now I will warn you if you haven't picked up this is a heavy LGTBQ+ message. I didn't have an issue with it as it made me laugh and think as well. It is looking at how Joker as a child knew they were someone trapped in the wrong body biologically. We see the repercussions of what the mother did. We even see a hilarious take on Lorne Michaels (voiced by Maria Bamford), trying to tame what is happening for money and success. There are even jabs here at Saturday Night Live that I found funny.

I should also bring up filmmaking. This is done on a low budget. There is use of green screen. I can be forgiving since we are bringing a comic book world to life and a backdrop of a dystopian world. What I love is the transitions though from the world we are in to cartoon. Having things edited in like AI and what not was expertly done. This isn't a movie that was ever going to pull in a true budget, especially for what I'm going to say next. Before that though, we have a good cast here. Drew leads the way as our main character. I like seeing characters like Mr. Freeze (voiced by Scott Aukerman), Batman (voiced by Phil Braun), Calloway, Carroll, Distler, Drinkwater, Faustyn and David Liebe Hart as Ra's al Ghul. Downey and the rest of the cast also rounded this out for what was needed.

This won't be for everyone, but if you're open minded and enjoy outrageous comedies. Give this a watch. It has a great message and does in a way that is outside of the box. It is going to ruffle feathers for sure.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

Queerness in the form of an acid trip into a frying pan of artistic and exaggerated DC parody isn't something I thought of fathoming. Yet, here we are. Congratulations to Vera Drew and her commitment (and everyone else involved) to making this movie. For what it's worth, The People's Joker is one of the jolliest experiences in a long time. Approaching imposter syndrome hasn't never been this hilarious. It's an entertaining ride. It has so much preposterous stuff that made me laugh. Also, there are moments here that made me cry. Intentional or not, the film is riding on this buoyant low-budget look to its advantage. I wasn't too sure at first because it looks like a 2000s music video. After 20-30 minutes, it clicked. It made the film more tolerable to get through and made me respect it a lot. Also, while I did laugh a lot, some of the jokes didn't land. But, hey, comedy is subjective. I know there are going to be people who aren't going to like this for that reason (or many other reasons). However, this is pretty solid, IMO. If Vera Drew reads this (probably won't because she doesn't know me), just know that I'll be watching her next project.

The presentation: I suppose I MOSTLY feel duped because I paid for a ticket to watch something that I probably should have watched on YouTube. I don't think that people shouldn't make movies just because they don't have the funds for it, but I *do* feel like I can judge it on its quality if it chooses to cut corners. The green screen looks terrible, and this is barely "directed." Conversations are shot super close up, and the actors fall out of frame frequently. The effects look like Red Letter Media videos when Mr. Plinkett's house was floating at the bottom of the ocean. I don't even really feel like calling this a movie.

The DC property: I suppose if it stripped all of the IP away, some might still frame it as a "Joker origin story." But I still don't believe that the solution was to lean into it. It undercuts its trans journey message with...superhero fiction. This movie wants you to take it seriously and as a joke at the same time. And as for the boldness of copyright infringement, "Escape from Tomorrow" is also, similarly, not good, despite its ballsiness to try to slip it by Disney.

Only the actors and quick, cutaway gags are worth mentioning.

I described this to friends as "like a Tim & Eric sketch with a heart" but that doesn't leave a very good taste in my mouth. But I also feel like I could argue with myself how to define this movie practically forever, because it is so much, all the time.

It's often strange, chaotic, a little uncomfortable, but also really funny and ultimately heartfelt. The kind of movie that couldn't have been made (or nobody would be ready for in this format) 10 years ago.

I've seen several reviews from friends-of-friends and I still don't feel like I knew what I was getting into. But, man, what a heck of a thing.