Factual error: Based on the films being shown at the theater, the movie appears to be set in 1981. One of the TV commercials shows the Energizer Bunny, which didn't make its first appearance until 1988.
Joker (2019)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Zazie Beetz
Off his medication and with nothing left to live for, Arthur kills his colleague who gave him the gun and makes his way to the studio, evading the detectives in a riot on a subway train. Appearing on the show in full makeup and insisting on being introduced as "Joker", he loses the audience's goodwill with his dark jokes. He admits to murdering the 3 men on the train and rails against society, saying that everyone's "awful", including host Murray. Saying "you get what you f***ing deserve" he shoots Murray in the head, then twice more. He's tackled and arrested, but Gotham city is rioting, and a man in a clown mask steals an ambulance and rams the police car transporting him. The protesters remove him from the car and encourage him to stand up. He rises, and realising his mouth is bleeding, he uses the blood to paint a smile on his face, revelling in the rioters' approval. We also see another rioter in a clown mask identifying the Wayne family leaving the cinema - he accosts them, repeating Joker's line about getting what you deserve, shooting them both and leaving Bruce standing over the bodies of his murdered parents.
Social Worker: What's so funny?
Arthur Fleck: I was just thinking... just thinking of a joke.
Social Worker: Do you wanna tell it to me?
Arthur Fleck: You wouldn't get it.
Trivia: The font used for Live With Murray Franklin is identical to the Batman animated series titles. The name of the font is "Plaza," for those that might be curious.
Question: Why was this movie so controversial?
Answer: Because the left thought it would encourage violence and mocked liberal run cities.The right thought the same on violence, it seemingly justified a mentally ill guy's actions, that it made white businessmen bad guys. Both sides in general only complained about Joker for attention.
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Answer: In a nutshell, it's because the film's protagonist is a mentally disturbed killer, and certain groups in America thought the film's violence would lead to copycat behavior.
Phaneron ★
I never got this aspect of the controversy, if anything, it goes to show what can happen when mental illness goes untreated.
ctown28 ★
I agree with you on that, but unfortunately, there's so many people, at least in the United States, that have no sense of nuance and are prone to knee-jerk reactions. They would rather condemn and blame different kinds of media for society's ills, rather than stop and look at the message something is trying to tell.
Phaneron ★
I read about the concern over possible copycat behavior in an on-line article; Phaneron's answer is correct.
KeyZOid