Joker
Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix and is loosely based on DC Comics characters, including the Joker. It follows Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring stand-up comedian whose descent into mental illness and nihilism culminates with the emergence of an alter-ego known as "Joker" and inspires a violent countercultural revolution against the wealthy in a decaying Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy appear in supporting roles. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Joker was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Bron Creative and Joint Effort. Phillips conceived Joker in 2016 and wrote the script with Silver throughout 2017. The two were inspired by 1970s character studies and the films of Martin Scorsese, particularly Taxi Driver (1976) and The King of Comedy (1982); Scorsese was initially attached to the project as a producer. The film loosely adapts plot elements from Batman: The Killing Joke (1988) and The Dark Knight Returns (1986), but Phillips and Silver otherwise did not look to specific comics for inspiration, nor did he wish for it to be connected to any prior Batman film continuity. Phoenix became attached in February 2018 and was cast that July, while the majority of the cast signed on by August. Principal photography took place in New York City, Jersey City and Newark, from September to December 2018. Joker is the first live-action theatrical Batman film to receive an R rating from the Motion Picture Association. Joker premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, where it won the Golden Lion, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 4. The film was a box office success and set records for an October release. It grossed over $1 billion, becoming the first R-rated film to do so, and it was the highest-grossing R-rated film until being surpassed by Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024. It was also the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2019. The film received numerous accolades, including two Academy Award wins at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Actor (Phoenix) and Best Original Score out of 11 nominations including Best Picture, becoming the first DC film to do so. A sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, was released on October 4, 2024.
That's better. Bruce! Bruce! Get away from that man. It's okay. I'm a good guy. What are you doing? Who are you? I'm here to see Mr. Wayne. Well, you shouldn't be speaking to his son. Why did you give him these flowers? No, they're not real. It's magic. I was just trying to make him smile. Well, it's not funny, is it? Do I need to call the police? No. Please. My mother's name is Penny. Penny Fleck. She used to work here years ago. Can you please tell Mr. Wayne I need to see him? You are her son. Yeah. Did you know her? I know about the two of them. She told me everything. There's nothing to know. There is no "them." Your mother was delusional. She was a sick woman. Don't say that. Just go. Mmm? Before you make a fool of yourself. Thomas Wayne is my father.
Joker
I'm right here. Excuse me, sir. Does your mother take any medications? - No. - Excuse me, - I couldn't hear you. - No. Sir, when was the last time you spoke to her? I don't know. Mr. Fleck. Sorry to bother you. I'm Detective Garrity. This is my partner, Detective Burke. We had a few questions for you, but you weren't home, so we spoke with your mother. Oh. What did you say to her? Did you do this? What? No. No, no, no. We just asked her some questions, and she got hysterical. Hyperventilating, collapsed and hit her head pretty hard. Yeah. The doctor said she had a stroke. We're sorry to hear about that. But, like I said, I still have some questions for you. They're about the subway killings that happened last week. You've heard about them, right? Yeah. It's horrible. Right. So, we spoke with your boss over at Haha's. He said you were fired for bringing a gun into the children's hospital. - Is that true, Mr. Fleck? - It was a prop. It's part of my act. I'm a party clown. All right. So, why were you fired? They said I wasn't funny enough. Can you imagine that? If you don't mind, I have to go take care of my mother. Your boss also gave us one of your cards. This condition of yours, the laughing, is it real, or some sort of clown thing? - A clown thing? - Yeah. I mean, is it part of your act? What do you think? It's exit only.
Joker