I’m going to start by correcting an assumption that may have been made from the headline. No, I don’t think “Joker” should win because the left hates it, although that does make it kind of sweeter to me.
The reason “Joker” should win is because it’s so well done. The writing, the acting, and the cinematography are so well done that my only complaint about it is that it made me feel oppressed and claustrophobic, but that was intentional by the director Todd Philips, meaning even that is a result of how well the movie was made.
If you would like to read my full review, you can do so by following the link below.
(Review: “Joker” Is a Superb Movie That I Never Want to See Again)
While it truly is a marvelous film, it earned the ire of the left even before it came out. The racism and bigotry of the left came out in full force as they complained that the film would trigger white men into snapping and becoming like the Joker themselves. They warned moviegoers that if they went to go see it they’d run the risk of possibly dying in the theater from incels shooting it up, being inspired by the story of Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker.
The controversy got so bad that both actor Joaquin Phoenix and Phillips became angry with the social justice warriors constantly attacking the film for its non-political correctness.
(READ: “Joker” Director Todd Phillips Smacks Social Justice Warriors and Their PC Culture)
Moreover they hated it because they believed that the movie was a sympathetic take on the plight of white men.
It was more of a commentary on the left than it was anyone else. No one died during any of the showings, and the film was appreciated for the talent that went into it, not as some sort of metaphorical description of the modern white male. Once again, the left was exposed as the racist and sexist Chicken Little’s they were.
They only got more salty as audiences continued to applaud it and despite all their efforts, the movie became a massive success. It even went so far as to break the record for the highest grossing R-rated film of all time.
(READ: Thanks Outrage Brigades: “Joker” Achieved Top-Grossing R-Rated Movie of All Time)
This only made them more angry, and now that the movie is up for a plethora of awards — 11 to be precise — the left is making it known just how disgusted they are.
They went from making fun of the dialogue…
Imagine giving a screenplay nom to a movie that contains this line of dialogue 😭 pic.twitter.com/Vl7m3AR1iC
— tyde (@megqnfox) January 12, 2020
To even blaming GamerGate…
I'm wondering if JOKER being nominated is (one of) the triumph(s) of GamerGate
— Matt Gabriele (@prof_gabriele) January 13, 2020
Slate wrote that the nominations for “Joker” are a “joke”:
From its dumb yellow title card to its antihero’s dumb delusions of grandeur to its dumb absolute belief in its own transgressiveness, Joker is just as stupid as can be. It is a movie designed to seem impressive to anyone without much of an understanding of film history, who’s maybe seen clips from Taxi Driver online. It’s a movie designed for people who must rush to get on Twitter to see if everyone catches the reference.
Joker is a movie for people who think that blood spatter and dwarf jokes are daring and provocative, when in fact they are extremely tired. Joker is a movie for people who think that movies about class riots demonstrate actual class consciousness by a Hollywood studio, when in fact the movie is porn for viewers who get off on squalor. Joker is a movie for people who think that starving yourself, being a pain to your co-workers, and allegedly kicking a dumpster so hard you dislocate your knee are evidence of good acting. In fact, they are not.
I could go on, but the pattern is clear at this point.
You’ll notice that those angry about the film aren’t angry at it because it’s a bad film in technicality. They’re angry at it because it refused to fit into the boundaries they believe films should stick to. It transgresses their leftist sensibilities and sends intentional messages that they don’t approve of.
They think the movie is bad when it’s not simply because they want the movie to be more of a commentary of how bad their enemies are, and it’s simply a movie about a bad guy becoming a famous bad guy. They think it’s a sentimental treatment of the people they hate even though it’s clearly not.
In other words, it’s not politically viable as a propaganda piece for their side when it could have been, and that missed shot has them gnashing teeth and rending their clothing.
Here’s the greatest part about all of this.
They think that it’s a movie that is sympathetic to their enemies because it’s so well acted, written, and directed, that the movie depicts exactly what they see in their minds as their opponents. This is done so well that it triggers them into thinking that the movie is actually commentary in favor of incels and white men due to the fact that you see Fleck transformed by society around him.
It’s not, but that makes them so angry because white men are supposed to be the ones driving society, not those affected by it. They can’t stand the idea of a white man being a victim.
Everyone is just awful these days. No ones ever civil anymore.
