History Awesome / Joker2019

'''Arthur''': No. [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor They couldn't carry a tune to save their lives.]] *the audience boos him* Ugh, why is everybody so upset about these guys?! If it was me dying on the sidewalk, you'd walk right over me! [[VillainHasAPoint*the audience goes quiet*]] I pass you every day and you don't notice me, but these guys; what, because Thomas Wayne went and cried about them on TV?\\

'''Arthur''': No. [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor They couldn't carry a tune to save their lives.]] *the audience boos him* Ugh, why is everybody so upset about these guys?! If it was me dying on the sidewalk, you'd walk right over me! I pass you every day and you don't notice me, but these guys; what, because Thomas Wayne went and cried about them on TV?\\

'''Arthur''': [[CardCarryingVillain I know.]] [[PreMortemOneLiner How about another joke, Murray?]] What do you get... ''when you cross a MENTALLY ILL LONER'', '''with a ''SOCIETY'', THAT ''ABANDONS'' HIM, AND TREATS HIM LIKE''' '''''TRASH?!''''' '''I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU GET!''' '''''YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!!''''

'''Arthur''': [[CardCarryingVillain I know.]] [[PreMortemOneLiner How about another joke, Murray?]]'''Arthur''': What do you get... ''when you cross a MENTALLY ILL LONER'', '''with a ''SOCIETY'', THAT ''ABANDONS'' HIM, AND TREATS HIM LIKE''' '''''TRASH?!''''' '''I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU GET!''' '''''YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!!''''\\

'''Arthur''': [[DeathGlare *stares at Murray with murder in his eyes*]] [[TranquilFury You're awful, Murray.\\
'''Murray''': Oh yeah? How am I awful?

'''Murray''': You don't know the first thing about me, pal. Look what happened because of what ''you'' did. What it ''led'' to. There are riots out there. Two policemen are in critical condition, (''Arthur laughs'') and you’re laughing, ''you’re laughing''. Someone was killed today because of what ''you'' did.

'''Murray''': [[NoSympathy You finished?]] I mean, there’s so much self-pity, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing those young men. Not everybody, and I'll tell you this, not everyone is awful. [...] You don't know the first thing about me, pal. Look what happened because of what ''you'' did. What it ''led'' to. There are riots out there. Two policemen are in critical condition, (''Arthur laughs'') and you’re laughing, ''[[TranquilFury you’re laughing]]''. Someone was killed today because of what ''you'' did.
* On the other hand, the Joker's rant to Murray just before he shoots him in the head. The murder itself is clearly DisproportionateRetribution, but he's definitely [[VillainHasaPoint not wrong]] about the way society treats mentally ill people, which makes the rant satisfying to watch - and it all culminates in a kill line that comes together beyond beautifully.
-->'''Arthur''': What do you get... ''when you cross a MENTALLY ILL LONER'', '''with a ''SOCIETY'', THAT ''ABANDONS'' HIM, AND TREATS HIM LIKE''' '''''TRASH?!''''' '''I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU GET!''' '''''YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!!''''

* Murray realizes he has a killer sitting next to him on his show on live TV with who knows how many potential victims including himself in the room, and he still manages to stay calm while he tries to interview him to find out what kind of man he's facing.

--->'''Murray''': Okay, so that's it, you're crazy. That's your defense for killing three young men? [...] You finished? I mean, there’s so much self-pity, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing those young men. Not everybody, and I'll tell you this, not everyone is awful. [...] You don't know the first thing about me, pal. Look what happened because of what ''you'' did. What it ''led'' to. There are riots out there. Two policemen are in critical condition, (''Arthur laughs'') and you’re laughing, ''[[TranquilFury you’re laughing]]''. Someone was killed today because of what ''you'' did.

** He even dares to give him a ReasonYouSuckSpeech during all this, ''[[JerkassHasAPoint and he’s completely in the right]]'':

* Arthur killing the Wall Street assholes in self-defense. The first two anyways but it doesn't make the last death any less satisfying after he willingly beat a man to the ground simply for laughing.
* The death of Thomas Wayne here is pretty satisfying considering how much of a elitist jerk he is to the populace of Gotham City.

** Made even cooler by the fact that the scene of Bruce's parents getting killed is shot for shot from [[Film/{{Batman1989}} another movie]].
* The Joker's rant to Murray just before he shoots him in the head. The murder itself is clearly DisproportionateRetribution, but he's definitely [[VillainHasaPoint not wrong]] about the way society treats mentally ill people, which makes the rant satisfying to watch - and it all culminates in a kill line that comes together beyond beautifully.
-->'''Arthur''': What do you get... ''when you cross a MENTALLY ILL LONER'', '''with a ''SOCIETY'', THAT ''ABANDONS'' HIM, AND TREATS HIM LIKE''' '''''TRASH?!''''' '''I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU GET!''' '''''YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!!'''''

* The death of Thomas Wayne here is pretty satisfying considering how much of a jerk he is to the populace of Gotham City.

-->'''Arthur''': How about another joke, Murray? What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a ''society'' that ''abandons him and treats him like trash?'' I'll ''tell'' you what you get! '''''You get what you fucking deserve!'''''

-->'''Arthur''': How about another joke, Murray? What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a ''society'' that ''treats him like trash?'' I'll ''tell'' you what you get! '''''You get what you fucking deserve!'''''

!!Meta

* Creator/JoaquinPhoenix and his interpretation of the iconic Joker laugh, based off of recordings of real-life individuals who suffered from pathological laughter. Appropriately, it comes off as someone who has a serious mental problem as opposed to just an infamous trademark of a comic supervillain, which makes it even scarier yet accurate.
** And when Arthur completely surrenders his mind to the Joker, he stops laughing against his will. Apart from the chuckle he has during the train riot and after killing Murray, this is the first time Arthur is genuinely cackling -- and is last seen running from orderlies in Arkham's hallways. Never before was a full descent into madness so ''satisfying'' to watch.
** Hell, Creator/JoaquinPhoenix’s entire Oscar-winning performance as Arthur Fleck was utterly enthralling from start to finish.
** It should also be noted that thanks to this performance, the Joker is now only the second character who two different actors won Oscars for playing after [[Film/TheGodfather Vito Corleone]] stood alone with the distinction for almost half a century.
* Hildur Guðnadóttir’s [[AwesomeMusic/Joker2019 hauntingly beautiful, Oscar-winning score.]]
* The movie broke the record held by ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' for most nominations for a comic book film at the Academy Awards, with 11 nominations including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Phillips, Best Actor for Phoenix, and, yes, even '''''Best Picture''''', making it the first DC film to be nominated for the award, and the second comic book movie overall after ''[[Film/BlackPanther2018 Black Panther]]''.
** ''And'' it ended up winning for Best Actor and Best Original Score.
** It's also the very first R-rated film to gross 1 billion dollars, demolishing many of box office records set by ''[[Film/Deadpool2016 Deadpool]]''.
** Looks like despite all the pre-release controversy, ''Joker'' had [[{{Pun}} the last laugh]] after all.

* After his little celebratory dance, the two cops from earlier spot him and proceed to chase him around the city. Once they get to the subway train filled with clown rioters, ''everything'' starts to work out in Arthur's favor and although still an AxeCrazy SmugSnake at his core, in this scene, he starts to show shades of the ManipulativeBastard he will one day become. He swipes a clown mask from a random guy, who shoves him into another whose counterattack accidentally hits the one who shoved Arthur, sparking a huge fistfight that buys Arthur some time. When the cops attempt to brandish their guns to cow the crowd and possibly fire at Arthur, one of them ends up in a struggle with a rioter that ends with an accidental gunshot, prompting the entire clown mob to lunge at the duo and give them a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Victorious, Arthur walks right up to the downed cops and ''dances right in front of them'', before leaving the station unscathed.

* The Joker's rant to Murray just before he shoots him in the head. The murder itself is clearly DisproportionateRetribution, but he's definitely [[VillainHasaPoint not wrong]] about the way society treats mentally ill people, which makes the rant satisfying to watch.

* When Joker is taken into custody after Murray's murder, an ambulance suddenly crashes into the cop car, killing everyone in the vehicle but the Joker. The clown rioters riding the ambulance find his unconscious body, recognize him as their hero, and safely pull him out of the wreckage. When he finally comes to, Joker gets on his feet and is suddenly greeted by an enormous crowd of clown masks, who cheer victoriously for their new icon. Now embracing his new, permanent identity as Joker, Arthur uses his own blood to refresh his clown smile even larger, forming a bloody rictus grin. He then turns to his loving followers and stands triumphant. It's pretty much an AwesomeMomentOfCrowning for the IconOfRebellion he has unwittingly become. Arthur finally got what he wanted: respect, attention, and a sea of smiles. And he couldn't be any happier.

--> '''Murray''': Okay, so that's it, you're crazy. That's your defense for killing three young men?... You’re finished? I mean, there’s so much self-pity, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing those young men. Not everybody, and I'll tell you this, not everyone is awful... You don't know the first thing about me, pal. Look what happened because of what ''you'' did. What it ''led'' to. There are riots out there. Two policemen are in critical condition, (Arthur laughs) and you’re laughing, ''[[TranquilFury you’re laughing]]''. Someone was killed today because of what ''you'' did.

* The scene where Arthur finally dons [[ClothesMakeTheLegend the Joker suit]] and makeup. When he makes his way down the stairs, he doesn't just walk, he ''dances down them'', now fueled by his newfound confidence. Arthur is a new man now, and there's no going back. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-hB1TzoG7M "Rock and Roll Part 2"]] a.k.a. the "Hey" song makes an all-too perfect tune for his reintroduction.

** This whole scene, from Joker's BlackComedy, him shooting Murray dead ''and then shooting his corpse again for good measure'', and his total nonchalant reaction to the crowds screaming in panic, manages to encapsulate the character of the Joker perfectly -- he's both hilarious ''and'' terrifying. This incarnation isn't mostly funny like ''Film/Batman1989'' 's Joker, nor is it flatout terrifying like ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' 's Joker. ''This'' clown hits the perfect balance between the two and, just in that way alone, becomes a ''very'' accurate depiction of the character.
* An OffScreenMomentOfAwesome: The police somehow managed to end the riot and arrest Arthur. Considering how chaotic things were getting, that's quite an achievement.

* After his little celebratory dance, the two cops from earlier spot him and proceed to chase him around the city. Once they get to the subway train filled with clown rioters, ''everything'' starts to work out in Arthur's favor and although still an AxeCrazy SmugSnake at his core, in this scene, he starts to show shades of the MagnificentBastard he will one day become. He swipes a clown mask from a random guy, who shoves him into another whose counterattack accidentally hits the one who shoved Arthur, sparking a huge fistfight that buys Arthur some time. When the cops attempt to brandish their guns to cow the crowd and possibly fire at Arthur, one of them ends up in a struggle with a rioter that ends with an accidental gunshot, prompting the entire clown mob to lunge at the duo and give them a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Victorious, Arthur walks right up to the downed cops and ''dances right in front of them'', before leaving the station unscathed.

** Hell, Creator/JoaquinPhoenix’s entire Oscar-winning performance as Arthur Fleck was utterly enthralling from start to finish. No actor before him has ever given as much ''humanity'' to the Joker.