The Joke Is On Us

Last night, I went to see Joker along with 400 people, a large majority being under the age of 30. Standing in line while queuing for popcorn, you could feel the anticipation for the film in the air. Overhearing the comments of nerds, I knew that pre-enthusiasm was strong. Gotham, Jack Nicholson, Taxi Driver, De Niro: 90s kids trying to explain to each other the premise of 70s movies. The light barely dimmed when a long-legged grunk behind me started hitting my seat. A firm "No" took care of that. The opening scene was cringeworthy but without any doubt, the best scene of the night. From then, it was all downhill. A portrait of nihilism, a story of nothing. Unfunny, shallow, violent in the wrong way, unpolarising. Rich people are bad, poor people are bad. Joker is the kind of movie that turns normal people depressed, the depressed aggressive, and encourages the sadistic sociopaths to buy a gun. While a good movie allows a viewer to escape reality, a bad movie makes you eager to escape back to everyday life. Joker did the latter, and failed in every aspect imaginable. But the most annoying failure was the attempt to portray normal, everyday people like us, as a bunch of frickin' clowns who worship a psychopath (the scene where an angry mob of clowns hail the Joker). We know that a gun and a desire to kill will never turn a life of misery into a life of a comedy, and I have no doubts that Joker will be appreciated by internet trolls who are yet to discover their sadistic inner self. Luckily, judging by the number of viewers who clapped at the end of the film, they will always remain a minority. To call it Hollywood trash would be too kind. Joker is scraping the bottom of what the rest of the sophisticated world simply call American trash and is, with no doubt, the worst movie I have ever watched. It's not too late to cancel your booking. Life is too precious to be wasted in such a self-derogatory way. Instead, tonight, immerse yourself in a classical novel on your favourite sofa with a cup of silky smooth coffee. And if you really want to go crazy, a box of chocolates!