Yellow Smiley offers me X
Like he’s drinking 7-Up
I would rather drink six razor blades
Razor blades from a paper cup
He can’t understand, I say too tough
It’s just that I’ve seen the future and boy it’s rough– The Future by Prince from the 1989 Batman soundtrack
Since 2020, there have been many stories of creatives finding inspiration in the necessity of trying to stay psychologically even. For major films like the upcoming Dev Patel directorial debut Monkey Man, it meant creating a COVID bubble for his entire team of cast and crew by renting a hotel out and improvising through personal injury and camera equipment breakdowns. For actors like Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, it turned an outlet for their isolation (playing Grand Theft Auto Online) into a location for a first ever digital production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. For actor/editor/writer Vera Drew (KRFT PUNK’S Political Party!), 2020 afforded the catalyst to make the film that she always sought to make, though it came from an unexpected place. That film, The People’s Joker, a comedic parody of several popular DC Comics properties, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival 2022 and was immediately slapped with a cease-and-desist from WB Discovery preventing further screenings … until now. Slated for a two-month tour, Drew’s The People’s Joker is invading your local theaters with a tale that repurposes and recontextualizes the myths of today through a personal lens of self-discovery that’s not the blasphemous comedic adventure one might expect. Rather, Drew demonstrates a deep awareness of the Bat-lore that allows her to reframe the way we look at our heroes, unafraid to turn the mirror and its biting nature on herself as well.
Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin in THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. Photo courtesy of Altered Innocence.
In a world where all comedy is outlawed except that performed by the legally-approved United Clown Bureau, a young comedian travels to Gotham City to pursue their dream of entertaining audiences just like their heroes. But when things in Gotham aren’t what they hoped, they form their own troupe of anti-comics in order to circumvent the approved order and perhaps make something new. Through this journey, the young comedian experiences a coming-of-age and a coming out that helps them harness who they always were to become who they were meant to be: Joker the Harlequin (Drew).
Let’s address the clown in the room right out of the gate: Drew incorporates the kinds of references to Bat-lore that had folks going nuts in The LEGO Batman Movie (2017), suggesting someone’s a massive nerd (yes), but also that one needs to *understand* the references in order to wield them. It’s not enough to have Drew’s Joker dress similarly to Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) or her boyfriend, Mr. J. (Kane Distler in a debut performance that’ll charm you to the last), to be designed after Jared Leto’s Joker in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016). On the surface, these things just seem like appropriating anarchic characters (who are not idyllic by any measure) with their own respective public reception in order to turn them into folk heroes; except doing so would imply that there’s something healthy about the way that these notorious characters function. Instead, what Drew and co-writer Bri LeRose (The Great Amazon Heist) do is place their lead character, Joker, in a post-crisis world where Batman is running for office, there’s only one form of comedy allowed, and to be a part of that troupe means conforming to a specific Joker or Harlequin persona [pick a binary box, pick a binary lane]. Again, this is only the surface-level stuff, because what the audience comes to understand after spending time within this world is not that Drew and LeRose are co-opting DC Comics property to reframe for their own uses, they are placing commentary on the world at large using the fictitious world of one of the most popular myths in the world. The People’s Joker isn’t a film in which good is made bad and bad is made good, that would be absolutely uninspired and obvious; rather, the choices are specific as is the execution, utilizing imagery, iconography, and material not just of Batman, but any material that is even somewhat associated. This means that fast eyes will catch a hilarious reference to Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995) when Joker goes to audition at UCB, an on-point reference to actor/writer Robert Smigel, and enough references to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns to choke Zack Snyder.
L-R: Nathan Faustyn as Penguin, Kane Distler as Mr. J, Daniella Baker as Catwoman, and Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin in THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. Photo courtesy of Altered Innocence.
There’s also going to be a contingent of folks who don’t understand the parody or the repurposing going on. Too many will presume from the title and the marketing that The People’s Joker intends to capitalize on the social good will made by voice-actor Mark Hamill as the iconic voice of The Joker in various Batman properties and the shift in appreciation for Harley Quinn thanks to characterizations provided by Arleen Sorkin (Batman: The Animated Series), Margot Robbie (Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn; The Suicide Squad), and, most recently, Kaley Cuoco (Harley Quinn). Just because audiences love Harley, and a certain section do for The Joker, it’s important to note that Drew and LeRose’s work doesn’t lean into the toxic tendencies of this couple; opting instead to use the pair as the non-conformist starting point by which a society convinced that Batman is the best thing for us and anything funded/supported by Batman must therefore be equally good can be explored and eviscerated. A proper parody considers the material sacred, but doesn’t hesitate to take it to profane places, so much so that there’s one specific moment which created an audible response because it is so bold and wonderful in the way it recontextualizes the history within the stories that readers often take as innocent or okay on their face. There’s a specificity to this choice that can only come from knowing the lore within the pages of DC Comics and not just jumping on the back of popular culture in the wake of “Daddy’s Little Monster” tees post-2016. In a world where “multiverse” is no longer a niche term thanks to so many high-profile releases, consider that The People’s Joker is but another Elseworld, another time, another place, and that maybe the heroes and villains are separated for very different reasons.
Keeping in mind that much of the script is inspired by Drew’s own story, let’s shift to that as it can be discussed a little more freely compared to the DC-connected aspect which should be experienced as spoiler-free as possible.
One of the bigger and important elements in the Joker’s tale is the battle within herself regarding joy. Now, Joker in any iteration has a thing about laughing, it’s part of the schtick, but, here, Joker develops their iconic smile and laughter differently and it’s something that speaks to a larger idea of being different and making ourselves smaller to fit within someone else’s comfort. Who among us hasn’t been told to “just get over it” or “why don’t you smile more?” when trying to open up about something difficult? Who among us hasn’t been told that our problems are our own and shouldn’t be made a burden unto someone else? Who among us hasn’t been told that responsibility doesn’t belong to the parents but to us when challenged about memories or events of the past? Rather than actually giving her help when a young Joker requests it, she’s given a drug (called Smylex, what else?) that forces a smile to make everyone else around her more comfortable. Whether it’s related to internal struggles of identity or trying to pursue a dream, medication is given as the cure when it’s barely a salve. Repress, repress, repress — that’s what kicks off this Joker’s journey and it’s a running theme throughout the film. The broken ones repress while healing begins with facing the problems instead of running. Amid the myriad of comic book references and lore-wrapped locations and relationships, it’s this aspect which makes The People’s Joker honest, emotional, and incredibly raw. Recognizing this, audiences are able to see past the persona Drew puts on in the role of Joker and sees her — who she was, who she could be — perhaps for the first time ever. For a feature-length directorial debut, it’s a hell of thing to accomplish and stick the landing on. It’s a brilliant move by Drew and LeRose to take something as iconic as the Joker’s smile and transform its meaning into a symbol of repression, thereby making the entire notion of who Joker is here a creation of all those who would rather make themselves comfortable over being healthy, informed, and, above all, connected to those they proclaim to love and cherish.
Look, The People’s Joker is not going to be for everyone, just like any other comic book-related work. Maybe their media literacy is on the weaker side and they can’t recognize the parody, only seeing endorsement. Maybe they miss the wholesome nature of the film, the quest for self-love, self-acceptance, and building a family of support among others who are similarly rejected by others as they go on their own journey. Maybe they can’t handle Drew’s maximalist vision and ideas, spouting concepts of acceptance and rejecting lies, deceit, and systems of control that benefit the true villains of the world. Maybe they only see the heavy green screen, the odd use of mix-media, and other idiosyncrasies and presume low class, low rent, and low ideas rather than something punk rock and establishment-challenging whose ideas may just have you reconsidering your favs.
Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin in THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. Photo courtesy of Altered Innocence.
To that end, challenge yourself by experiencing The People’s Joker instead of suggesting someone else take a puff of metaphorical Smylex and move on. Don’t speak from inexperience, but get in there and see what Drew, LeRose, and their cast and crew have put together. It just may reveal something to you you’ve never considered about yourself.
In select theaters beginning April 5th, 2024.
Screening at Independent Picture House April 19th – 25th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Altered Innocence The People’s Joker webpage.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5.
Share this:
Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews
Leave a Reply