Joker Gets the Honest Trailer Treatment
With the film one of the biggest box office success stories of 2019 and on its way to what could [...]
With the film one of the biggest box office success stories of 2019 and on its way to what could be more than one Academy Award on Oscar night, Joker is finally in place ro receive its most scathing criticism to date: an honest trailer. Screen Junkies debuted their latest entry in the series with a funny take down of the Warner Bros. film which also points out some of its shortcomings while also lifting up its strengths. You can watch the full video below.
"Prepare for a film the media said was too dangerous for you to see, which made audiences way more excited than regular marketing ever could have, cruising its way to a billion dollars on a $55 million budget because it got hyped on a cinematic fear toxin that would turn you into the Joker; even though it ended up being a Mumblecore/Scorsese riff about the world's saddest clown," the voiceover says in its opening, taking down the film and its critics.
The video also manages to throw in a few zingers at other DC properties and interpretations of the Joker (specifically Jared Leto's from Suicide Squad), making the jab that the 2019 version of the character "Instead of writing 'Damaged' on his forehead, just damages his forehead."
The 92nd Academy Awards are set to air Sunday, Feb. 9 on ABC with Joker sitting at eleven total nominations (including Best Picture), making it the most nominated movie of the year. Other Oscar nominations that the film managed to snag include Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Directing (Todd Phillips), Best Adapted Screenplay (Todd Phillips & Scott Silver), Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Phoenix himself has already won the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Hollywood Critics Association, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, itself a precursor to mean he's the front runner for the Oscar. After winning the SAG award, Phoenix paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in The Dark Knight back in 2008.
"Joker began as an idea, an experiment really— could we take an "indie approach" to a studio film by inverting it into a character study to reflect the world around us?" director ToddPhilips said of the movie's Oscar nominations in a heartfelt Instagram post. "Explore what we're seeing and feeling in society, from the lack of empathy to the effects of the absence of love. I am deeply honored by the overwhelming recognition of the Academy this morning, and I want to thank the genius that is Joaquin Phoenix, and all my incredible collaborators. We are beyond humbled that our peers in the filmmaking community have embraced the film and its message."
Joker recently returned to theaters in an official Oscar push re-release. The film has brought in over $1.07 billion worldwide, beating out the likes of Justice League, Suicide Squad, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.