34th Hall of Fame

The People's Joker
Director/writer: Vera Drew
Key cast: Vera Drew, Nathan Faustyn, Kane Distler





I’ve never seen anything like this. Usually, that’s just a cliché we pedantic movie reviewers fall back on to catch readers’ attention. But in this case, no, really, I’ve never seen anything like this. That’s not always a good thing. But in the case of “The People’s Joker,” it is.

This is a movie whose reputation precedes it – at least for those of us who regularly consume movie news/review sites and podcasts. Its struggle to see the light of day was epic. The way “The People’s Joker” adapts intellectual property held by industry heavyweights unleashed a plague of lawyers when it first tried to debut in 2022. The short story: The contention that the work is parody which falls under the “fair use” doctrine, combined with adding a lengthy beginning legal disclaimer to that effect, helped it see an official 2024 release on physical media and streaming.

Indeed, “The People’s Joker” is a parody, but that is in the service of a deeper examination by writer/director Vera Drew of transgender identity and acceptance. Set in an alternate universe where Batman reigns and comedy is illegal (except for the officially sanctioned “UCB Live,” a blistering parody of Saturday Night Live), “The People’s Joker” is a non-stop ride: a hallucinogenic cascade of imagery, absolutely biting satire of social “norms” and “mainstream” comedy, seasoned with touching personal reflections.

The only thing traditional about “The People’s Joker” is its chronological timeline. We first meet (bleep) Drew, a youngster who’s suffering from gender dysphoria in Smallville, Kansas. Asking mother “Was I born in the wrong body?” engenders a cataclysmic freakout that ends with a visit to Dr. Crane (yes, I immediately thought: “quack”), who treats (bleep) with the drug Smilex, whose sole benefit is to keep (bleep) smiling (though not happy). And results in a nearly lifelong addiction. The episode also introduces a theme that runs through (bleep)’s entire life story: family, friends, lovers … they all process (bleep)’s issues in terms of what it does to them. “How can you do this to me?” becomes an all-too recurrent and completely tone-deaf refrain.

From confused kid, to awkward teen, to the young adult who leaves Smallville for the big city of Gotham, (bleep) struggles to be seen. Emerging from gender transition, and leaving behind the deadname that was bleeped out, she metamorphoses into Vera Drew. Her goal: to break through as a comedian on UCB Live, run by the toxic Lorne Michaels. She adopts the persona Harlequin, costumed to channel past Jokers such as Johnny Depp and Heath Ledger. She befriends and founds an “anti comedy” club with a pal, The Penguin (Nathan Faustyn), and falls for Mr. J. (Kane Distler), a trans man who is the very definition of “manipulative.”

Vera’s struggle to reach UCB Live encapsulates the main theme: whether to remain true to who she is, or to compromise to become what UCB wants her to be in order to “succeed” in the “real” world.

Writer/director Drew is an award-winning film editor, and it shows in the mastery of the production. She reportedly drew on the talents of dozens of artists to produce a spectacular array of filmic types, from occasional set camera work but more often green screen overlays and animation in a variety of techniques. The characters who fly in and out of the narrative range from the homoerotic Superman to other superheroes, and an array of other popculture caricatures and background artifacts that I could recognize and appreciate only if I were a much cooler person.

Whether you think “The People’s Joker” is your type of film or not, you should see it. I know much of it passed over my head. But it’s the kind of mind-expanding experience you continue to contemplate as the days pass. I’ll admit that from my limited perspective the most impactful, absolutely raw moment came late in the movie as Vera’s mother apologizes and finally admits what she was really trying to shield her child from.

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Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain ... only straw. Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain? Scarecrow: I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.

Keep those reviews coming I'll be posting the next movie in a few days.

I got At Play in the Fields of the Lord so I'll be watching this week

Blue

On one hand, I appreciate the effort, but on the other I think it's a stretch to say I watched this film. And is it really a film if you get everything you need out of it without having to watch it? I'll be generous and defend Blue's place as a film, but I wasn't looking at the screen for most of the runtime, a blue wall was not exactly what I wanted to spend 80 minutes staring at. Good on Derek Jarman for making something like this, but it doesn't work for me. I also felt very uncomfortable when he would start whispering, not really sure why. I respect the attempt, but I don't like the film.

I am watching Blue. Or "listening to" the movie Blue. We'll see how it goes.

I'm ten minutes into Blue. It's putting me to sleep. Addendum; I fell asleep for a few minutes watching/listening to this film/radio play. I don't want to try again...

I should ask; where can I find People's Joker?

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I hate insomnia. Oh yeah. Last year I had four cases of it, and each time it lasted three months.

I'll PM you in a few minutes.

I tried to endure Blue. It put me to sleep. It's a guy talking under a blue screen. While I am already tired, it shouldn't knock me out in 18 minutes. It's so disinteresting. I lost focus around 12 minutes, went back to it a couple of minutes later, and fell asleep. I didn't like it.

Ooh the local library has it. It's currently checked out so I should get it within three weeks vis someone has to return it within three weeks and then it ship to my pickup library, and then I go get it.

A story of a young talented girl search for a life she chooses to live. Caught beween what she feels to be herself and the view of what her family wants her to be. She goes through the anguish that all teens go through. Her mother doesn’t like how she dresses or her friends and she want to chose the way she wants her life to go.

I enjoyed the story but its not the first time this has been explored in cinema. I enjoyed the acting as well. I think it was a good rec. Thanks @cricket.

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Its tougher to be vulnerable than to actually be tough.

90's Redux Seen: 16/30
My List 2/25
#12 The Crow
One Pointer: The Polar Bear King

Pariah (Dee Rees, 2011)

OK so full disclosure I actually watched this a number of weeks ago because I rented it from the library and it had to be returned so if I'm a bit iffy on details I apologize. Its fun that we're getting all the queer movies back to back to back especially since they're all wildly different and for different audiences. While I feel like Blue and The People's Joker are maybe more targeted towards their own communities, Pariah feels more like its for people on the outside looking in. Its very straight-forward, palatable and there's nothing here that would give the straights culture shock. All this to say, that as much as I found this enjoyable and relatable, it just doesn't really speak to me the same way the other two aforementioned films do. Its a very grounded, plainly shot film leaning on a sense of realism which isn't typically my cup of tea and its maybe a bit more sparse than I'd have liked. On the plus side though, the performances are strong, again it is generally enjoyable and relatable, and it has an absolutely killer soundtrack. Good stuff just not totally for me.

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slurps up! 🤙🤙

It's totally fine watching the movies in advance, I think other's have done that too, it's all good.

I'm trying to group movies together to keep the HoF interesting so we can contrast and compare and hopefully I've done a good job at that. But I can't take credit for Pariah being after The People's Joker. Pariah is Cricket's nom and I had planned on having it earlier in the HoF but he had messaged and asked me to hold off on his nom until later, so I did...and it's just random that it came up now.

@ueno_station54 , just wait until you watch mine. Some really love it and some hated it.

yes, please. Thanks,

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Pariah (Rees, 2011)

Watched this a few weeks ago, nothing about it I would say I disliked. The story of the main character and her interactions with the differing opinions of her parents and also the scenes with her best friend and new love interest kept me interested. A coming of age story with some nice tenderness about it that I like added to these stories. Again, solid nom and happy we had it in this group.

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird







Could've used more action.


Just kidding.


This movie barely lets up through its 2+ hour runtime. A lot of the combat was a chaotic mess, and difficult to follow, but it seems to have been intentional. Real life gun battles are usually a chaotic mess, with plenty of chances for friendly fire and other random disasters.


Compared to the original good/bad/ugly, this version has far less substance. It doesn't take enough time to show the human sides of the characters. Even our main hero is just 'a guy who does good because he's a good guy'. That said, I like the twist at the end involving one of the main characters (not the one regarding the treasure), that changes the context of everything that happened up to that point in the film.


Anyway, despite its thin story and kinda generic (but very handsome!) main hero, I really enjoyed the spectacle of all its action, especially the huge chase at the end. Song Kang-ho's performance as Yoon Tae-goo was also very good.


I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a lot of unique action, unlike movies they've seen before.

I'm going to have to skip Pariah, at least for now. That hits WAY too close to home for me.

Pariah - CONTAINS SPOILERS

Adolescence is no picnic, is it? As this movie so honestly indicates, it's even more difficult when very few people are on your side, or worse, if you are not sure who is on your side. Sadly, a situation like this is still synonymous with being LBGTQ+. My most prominent takeaway from this movie is indeed how it argues that a partially open door is worse than a closed one.

As the heartbreaking opening scene indicates, i.e. the one where Alike changes into a feminine outfit to avoid an argument with mom, a closed door is disheartening, but manageable. Partially open doors have much more uncertainty, especially since they can appear to be completely open. Alike encounters many such doors in this movie, and to its credit, it fits in many kinds in its short runtime without feeling overstuffed. Highlights are her English teacher, who Alike thinks believes in her, but then she starts giving her half-hearted feedback. Does the teacher not actually believe she's great or does she just not want Alike to be complacent? There's also best friend Laura, who Alike believes is her rock, but she suddenly gives her reasons to question where they stand. I'm most thankful that the movie gives us a character like Bina, however. As many of us can attest, she is the kind of partially open door who can make a person not want to deal with doors ever again. The best, or perhaps only way to escape the hell of adolescence is to grab the reigns, i.e. state who you are to the world and go after what you want. Alike finally does the former in the powerful moment where she comes clean to mom and dad, and as for the latter, there's my other major takeaway: the value of finding a passion. I like how the movie makes Alike's passion, poetry, seem like the ticket, confidence booster, etc. that helps her make this transition. This is also why I enjoy the window into Laura's life beyond the time she spends with her best friend despite how hard it is to watch. Even if Alike becomes a published author, her problems, like Laura's, will unfortunately not disappear.

This is a valuable, not to mention very well acted means of empathizing with the adolescent LBGTQ+ experience. If it sounds like some of Alike's experiences apply to every kind of adolescence, you are not wrong. Such trials and tribulations are indeed universal, and since the movie makes them specific enough to people like Alike, it is definitely not just another teen movie. Besides, their universality is to its benefit for how it makes the movie all the more accessible. Having never heard of this movie or the people who made it until recently, it was a pleasant surprise to discover it was a boon to many of their careers. All that's missing is an epilogue that informs us if Alike was also successful in her literature career. We don't get to hear much of her poetry, but what we do hear is very good!