Michael Moore Praises Todd Phillips' Joker as a Cinematic Masterpiece

Not only has Warner Bros.' Joker become one of the most financially successful films of the year, but it also earned a strong amount of critical praise, with the most recent filmmaker to share their support of the film being documentarian Michael Moore. The filmmaker penned an essay for Variety to praise the film, largely citing its accomplishments in representing our current society and its depictions of a world in which the banks run the cities, resulting in a country full of people who feel ignored. Moore also noted that he appreciated director Todd Phillips' tributes to various corners of cinema, despite other audiences growing frustrated by those direct homages.

"The story that Todd Phillips tells in Joker and the issues that this cinematic masterpiece raises are so profound, so necessary, that if you look away from the genius of this work of art, you will miss the gift of the mirror it is offering us," Moore writes. "Yes, there's a disturbed clown in that mirror, but he's not alone — we're standing right there beside him."

Moore has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, though he notes that he doesn't see the film as representative of the person himself, instead noting that, despite being set in New York City in the '70s, Joker effectively mirrors a world in which "the rich who rule us, the banks and corporations for whom we toil, the media which feeds us a daily diet 'news' they think we should absorb."

Martin Scorsese was credited as one of the film's producers, despite the filmmaker himself confirming he had little direct involvement in the endeavor. Audiences cited how clearly Phillips was embracing the cinematic style of Scorsese, with Moore noting that he appreciated seeing a contemporary filmmaker attempting to emulate such iconic cinematic experiences.

"I loved this film's multiple homages to Taxi Driver, Network, The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon," Moore expressed. "How long has it been since we've seen a movie aspire to the level of [Stanley] Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange or Scorsese's The King of Comedy? Thank you, Todd Phillips, and all who made this important movie for this important time."

Moore isn't the only one impressed with the film's achievements, as it has earned four Golden Globe Award nominations and is reportedly on the shortlist for a number of Academy Award nominations.

Joker is set to land on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on January 7, 2020.

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