Joker

Put On A Happy Face.

Joker is a 2019 film from Canada and the USA. It was nominated for best picture at the 2020 Academy Awards along with Best Makeup/Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound Editing/Mixing.

Plot
In 1981, party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck lives with his mother, Penny, in Gotham City. Gotham is rife with crime and unemployment, leaving swathes of the population disenfranchised and impoverished. Arthur suffers from a medical disorder that causes him to laugh at inappropriate times; he depends on social services for medication. After a gang of delinquents attacks Arthur in an alley, his co-worker, Randall, gives him a gun for protection. Arthur meets his neighbor, single mother Sophie Dumond, and invites her to his upcoming stand-up routine at a nightclub. While entertaining at a children's hospital, Arthur's gun falls out of his pocket. Randall lies to management that Arthur bought the gun himself and Arthur is fired. On the subway, still in his clown makeup, Arthur is beaten by three drunken Wayne Enterprises businessmen; he shoots two in self-defense and executes the third. The murders are condemned by billionaire mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne, who calls those envious of more successful people "clowns." Demonstrations against Gotham's rich begin, with protesters donning clown masks in Arthur's image. Funding cuts shutter the social service program, leaving Arthur without his medication. All this results in Arthur having a mental breakdown, leading him to knock on Sophie's door and passionately kiss her, leading to a budding relationship.

Sophie attends Arthur's stand-up routine, which goes poorly; he laughs uncontrollably and has difficulty delivering his jokes. Popular talk show host Murray Franklin mocks Arthur by showing clips from the comedy routine on his show. Arthur intercepts a letter written by Penny to Thomas, alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son, and berates his mother for hiding the truth. Arthur goes to Wayne Manor, where he meets Thomas's young son Bruce, but flees after a scuffle with the family butler Alfred Pennyworth. Following a visit from two Gotham City Police Department detectives investigating Arthur's involvement in the train murders, Penny suffers a stroke and is hospitalized.

At a public event, Arthur confronts Thomas, who tells him that Penny is delusional and not his biological mother. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's case file; the file says Penny adopted Arthur as a baby and allowed her abusive boyfriend to harm them both. However, Penny says that Thomas used his influence to fabricate the adoption to hide their affair. Distraught, Arthur returns home and enters Sophie's apartment unannounced. Frightened, Sophie tells him to leave and their previous encounters are revealed to be Arthur's delusions. The following day, Arthur kills Penny at the hospital.

Arthur is invited to appear on Murray's show due to the unexpected popularity of his comedy routine's clips. As he prepares, Arthur is visited by Randall and fellow ex-colleague Gary. Arthur murders Randall but leaves Gary unharmed as he treated him well in the past. En route to the studio, Arthur is pursued by the two detectives onto a train filled with some of the clown protesters. One detective accidentally shoots a protester and incites a riot, allowing Arthur to escape.

Before the show goes live, Arthur requests that Murray introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's previous mockery. Arthur walks out to applause, but starts telling morbid jokes, confesses to the train murders, and rants about how society abandons the downtrodden and mentally ill as Murray criticizes him and the audience jeers. Arthur kills Murray and is arrested as riots break out across Gotham. One rioter corners the Wayne family in an alley and murders Thomas and his wife, Martha, sparing Bruce. Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur, freeing him; he dances to the cheers of the crowd.

At Arkham, Arthur laughs to himself about a joke and tells his psychiatrist she would not understand it. He runs from an orderly, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints.

Cast

 * Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker: (Won Best Actor) A mentally ill, impoverished stand-up comedian disregarded by society, whose history of abuse causes him to become a nihilistic criminal. Phoenix had been interested in a low-budget "character study" of a comic book character, and said the film "feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe [...] It might as well be the thing that scares you the most." Phoenix lost 52 pounds (24 kg) in preparation, and based his laugh on "videos of people suffering from pathological laughter." He also sought to portray a character who audiences could not identify with and did not look to previous Joker actors for inspiration; instead, he read a book about political assassinations so he could understand killers and motivations. Phoenix believes that Fleck is the actual Joker; however, director Todd Phillips said that he intentionally left it ambiguous as to whether Arthur becomes the actual Joker as seen in traditional Batman stories or inspires a separate character.
 * Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin: A talk show host who plays a role in Arthur's downfall. De Niro said his role in Joker pays homage to his character from The King of Comedy (1983), Rupert Pupkin, who is a comedian obsessed with a talk-show host.
 * Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond: A cynical single mother and Arthur's love interest. Beetz, a "huge fan" of Phoenix, said that it was "an honor" to co-star with him, and that she learned a lot working with him on set.
 * Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck: Arthur's mentally and physically ill mother, who formerly worked for Thomas Wayne. Hannah Gross portrays a young Penny.

Additionally, Brett Cullen plays Thomas Wayne, a billionaire philanthropist running for mayor of Gotham. Unlike in the comics, Thomas plays a role in the Joker's origins and is less sympathetic than traditional incarnations. Alec Baldwin was initially cast in the role but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Douglas Hodge plays Alfred Pennyworth, the butler and caretaker of the Wayne family, and Dante Pereira-Olson plays Bruce Wayne, Thomas' son, who becomes the Joker's archenemy Batman as an adult.

Additional cast members include: Glenn Fleshler and Leigh Gill as Randall and Gary, Arthur's clown co-workers; Bill Camp and Shea Whigham as two detectives in the Gotham City Police Department; Marc Maron as Gene Ufland, a producer on Franklin's show; Josh Pais as Hoyt Vaughn, Arthur's agent; Brian Tyree Henry as a clerk at Arkham State Hospital; Ben Warheit as a Wall Street banker who gets murdered by Arthur on a subway platform; Gary Gulman as a comedian who performs his act at the restaurant before Arthur does; and Bryan Callen as Javier, a co-worker of Arthur. Justin Theroux has an uncredited cameo as Ethan Chase, a celebrity guest on Franklin's show. Frank Wood portrays Dr. Benjamin Walker, a therapist that worked on Penny. Chris Redd cameos as a comedy club emcee.

Critic Consensus
Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star -- and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema.