Is Joker a Joke?!

                                          

SPOILER ALERT! 

Before you dive in to this piece, let me just warn you that this article may contain spoilers, so if you have not watched either one of these movies then I'll advise you to pass. 

"Joker is such an awesome movie, a master piece of its kind, genuinely moving, how did the scriptwriter even came up with the story? Oh and don't get me started on the splendid direction of Todd Phillips. "

At least, these were my thoughts when  I watched Joker until I was enlightened by the Taxi Driver!

Taxi Driver is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese in 1976, the film  starred Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and a few others. Taxi Driver revolves around a mentally unstable veteran who works as a taxi driver at night in the Big Apple (New York City). He is always disgusted by the filth of the society and satisfies his urge for some violence by attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. He also tries to free a presidential campaign worker and an underage prostitute.

Now, how is Joker so similar to Taxi Driver? Allow me to break it down for you: 

*The mood of the movie.

The Taxi Driver had a location of a grim and filthy city where Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) would sometimes hang out with his friends at a low budget cafe. On the other hand, Gotham was an equally grim and filthy place where Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) would hang out with his buddies at the locker place where he works in the beginning of the movie. Both movies also had characters who were trapped in their dingy, gloomy apartment buildings indicating that there was no escape from the lives they had. 

*Story Line.

While both stories demand a dark tone, the story lines are alarmingly similar with a few exceptions made. Joker was improvised a little to better suit the audiences as well as Joker's history. Mental illness, check. A female character who rejects the male lead, check. Loneliness, check. A few "friends" for the leads to hang out with, check. A friend who the leads confide in once, check. The protagonist writing in a journal, check. An act of rebellion, check. 

*Characters. 

The leads in both movies were mentally unstable, trying to merge into the society in vain, disgusted by the place the world has turned into, rebels and acts violently in pent up frustration. Oh and especially the scene where Arthur Fleck talks to himself in front of the mirror, is a pure adaptation from the taxi driver where Travis Bickle speaks to himself ("You talking to me?") and not to mention that scene was a super hit and was talked about for decades.

The link for "You talking to me" scene from Taxi Driver:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e9CkhBb18E

The mirror scene mentioned above from both movies.

*Scenes. 

Scorsese had a brilliant imagination and sense of direction even in 1976! There was a signature shot in Taxi Driver where the camera would record the scene upside down and pan outside the building right after Travis Bickle kills the bad guys (pimp and a customer) to set the underage prostitute free. It was the scene where there will be a congregation outside the hotel when the police arrives. When I saw that scene, the only thing I remembered was the final scene of Joker where Arthur Fleck gets out of the police car, only that in Joker that scene was improvised to fit the ending.

However, Joker's director Todd Phillips has made a statement that this movie was inspired by a few other movies including Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver but let's face it. At the end of the day, when each and every scene of the movie reminds you of the "inspiration", is it really an inspiration anymore?

On the other hand, Joker was not all that bad. To be really honest, I was just disappointed. A colleague recommended me to watch Taxi Driver, I was kind of reluctant at first but once I started watching it, boy, was there a dull moment! It just got interesting after every scene, it blew my mind away but I can't stop thinking of Joker while watching Taxi Driver so much so the scenes kept screaming to me. 

I got a bit frustrated at first because I was so disappointed as I thought Joker was an original story but as I slept on it, it is more like a homage or fan service to Scorsese by Todd Philips. Only a true fan can do justice to a movie like that which was advance for a movie in the 70's. 

After all, Joker did capture the essence of who Joker really was, given his history and his life events. Again, even Joker was not boring at all, it kept the audience glued to their seats and at the edge at times. Todd Phillips did justice to Scorsese's movies and not everyone can pull that off. Quite some effort has gone into the movie; sets, acting, choice of casts, improvisation of the story line to explain more of Joker, lights, direction and so goes the list.

Perhaps, you will not understand what I'm trying to say here but if you are a big fan of Joker then Taxi Driver is a MUST WATCH! Maybe then you will see what I'm talking about. 

Given that Taxi Driver is a film made in the 70's, its definitely a masterpiece and a classic one at that. Trust me, the screenplay, lighting, editing, acting, sense of direction, cinematography, and everything else is topnotch! What's more is it is still relevant and relatable even to the people born in 90's and the grand millennium. Just the sheer thought of this movie being made waayyyyyy back makes Scorsese an ultimate legend of all times. 

To watch taxi Driver, click on the link below:

https://ww.123movies.la/movie/taxi-driver-yj7m1ky/watching.html.