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Parents' Guide to

Joker

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Bleak, violent, powerful; not your typical comic book movie.

Movie R 2019 122 minutes
Joker Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 132 parent reviews

Goozer
Goozer Adult
June 14, 2020
age 16+

It all really depends.

First off let me start by saying, yes this is a very dark, violent, and intense movie and I would NOT recommend it for a child. However when it comes to a teen/preteen I think it depends on the teen/preteen, have you taught them right from wrong and do they know the difference between real life and fiction? Honestly I think some people could watch this movie as young as 12, I for instance was watching far worse by that age, but as far as a general audience I think 16 is a good age for this movie.
Henry Von Rebenski
Henry Von Rebenski Parent of 10, 11 and 15-year-old
March 3, 2022
age 13+

I LIKE IT BUT VIOLENCE 13+ I STILL LOVE IT I FEEL HAPPY, SAD AND, LOVE AND, SO MANY RELATABLE PARTS I LOVE IT

IT IS A MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MOVIE I LIKED IT IS A SAD MOVIE AND MENTAL AWARENESS MOVIE 13+ I LOVED THE MOVIE SOME PARTS WHERE JOKER SMOKES NOT ALL PARTS HAVE SMOKING IT TOUCHED MY HEART IN A WAY THAT I LOVED
See all 132 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In JOKER, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) lives with his ailing mother (Frances Conroy) and works as a party clown in early 1980s Gotham City. He struggles with a mental illness that causes him to burst into sinister laughter at strange times. After he's attacked on the job and a co-worker gives him a gun, Arthur is fired. Later, he shoots and kills three wealthy jerks on a subway train and gets away. Then the city's social services programs are slashed, cutting off Arthur's weekly meetings and his supply of meds. He invites his neighbor, single mom Sophie (Zazie Beetz), to see his nightclub comedy act. The act is videotaped, and TV comedy show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) airs it, to unexpected response. Arthur is invited to be on Murray's show, but perhaps he's been pushed too far?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (132 ):
Kids say (279 ):

Led by Phoenix's ferocious, feral performance, this especially dark, gritty comic book movie is a character drama that's drawn more toward real-world troubles than to capes and crusading. With Joker, director Todd Phillips sets aside his penchant for juvenile comedies like The Hangover and channels early Martin Scorsese, especially Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. The film rages at the human condition and the darkness that might break a person and turn that person into a monster. Specifically, Phillips points fingers at the wealthy and powerful, who claim to want to help but make it impossible for the downtrodden to pick themselves up.

Phoenix embodies the utter despair of this situation, digging deep with a full-bodied performance, forever struggling to find hope but failing. Skeletal and dark-spirited, he moves his limbs like a balletic spider, either twining as if spinning a web or flailing and flapping like a manic cartoon character. But Batman's famous nemesis isn't just villainous any longer; he's a heartbreaking mistake that could have been prevented. It's no coincidence that Joker is set during a garbage strike, given that humans here are thrown to the curb just as easily as black plastic bags. In this very bleak movie, the bright colors of the Joker's clown makeup offer a violent, horrifying escape.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Joker's violence. Is violence celebrated in this film? What affect does that have on viewers? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • Joker takes a character who's usually portrayed as a villain and makes him the main character. How does that affect your feelings toward him? Is he presented as heroic in any way? Admirable? Is there a danger in making a "bad guy" sympathetic?

  • How does the movie address/depict mental illness? Does it feel accurate? Fair? Why could it be problematic to connect mental illness with the Joker's criminal behavior?

  • What does the movie have to say about the rich and powerful and their attitude toward people who haven't "made something of themselves"?

  • How are bullies dealt with here? What are some other ways of dealing with bullies?

Movie Details

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