Joker​ is dividing the heck out of audiences far and wide, including one very significant
crowd: Oscar voters.
​The Hollywood Reporter​ recently spoke with a number of members of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and like critics and audiences, they were largely split
on the film.
First, let's hear from the crowd that loved it.
One male member of the Members at Large Branch who saw the film at the official Academy screening
noted that the flick was well-received by the 500 audience members, and said,
"I think it's brilliant.
Joaquin Phoenix has never been better.
[...] I thought that the [director of photography], production designer and others created the
look and feel of the period really well, and the fact that it has very contemporary themes
of economic/class inequities felt just right.
Overall, a home run."
A female member of the same branch agreed, although she admitted that her, quote, "stomach
was still churning" the day after viewing the film.
She added,
"It made me uncomfortable from the very first frame to the last, but I thought the movie
was extraordinary.
It's the most outstanding performance I've seen in many years [...] It's still early,
but I can certainly see myself nominating it for best picture.
And [Phoenix] has to get nominated, or the actors branch doesn't know what it's doing."
A male member of the writers' branch compared the film favorably to the last picture to
score an Oscar win for an actor portraying the Joker, saying,
"I thought the filmmaking was exceptional certainly the most innovative superhero movie
since The Dark Knight.
[...] I haven't seen any of this season's 'Academy' movies yet, but, artistically, I
think this film is stronger than many of last year's Oscar-nominated films."
Then there was one male member of the producers' branch who boldly predicted that Joker will
deliver come February, saying,
"I loved it and it will win Best Picture.
I am really bored with all the superhero movies, but here I really liked it because it's a
great movie before it's a genre movie."
To say that many of the Oscar voters who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter were not quite
so impressed would be a massive understatement.
Those who disliked the film disliked it intensely, and they didn't hold back when discussing
what they perceived to be Joker's faults.
One female member of the executive branch, while praising Phoenix's work, simply couldn't
puzzle out the point of the movie.
She said,
"Strange, depressing film.
I was vaguely mesmerized, but… to what end?
I found it severely lacking any specific thematic point.
Great performance and impressive filmmaking, but a rather unpleasant experience overall."
One male member of the directors' branch called the flick a "cynical mess," one that was not
so much influenced by the works of Martin Scorsese as it was derivative of his works.
He said,
"I also found it to be more than a bit irresponsible, in terms of its depiction of both mental illness
and violence.
[...] It also seems the film was made only to provoke.
But I find it isn't interesting enough to do that.
Subtlety is not the director or lead actor's strong suit here.
[...] Finally, I found the film to be a big disappointment… and one filled with self-importance."
A male member of the documentary branch stated that while the film was admittedly well-made,
he found it to be downright irresponsible of the filmmakers to unleash it upon a world
in which unhinged, male loners seemingly perpetrate violence every other day.
He said,
"Who knows what effect it will have on some deranged sociopath in today's climate of gun
violence?
[...] Bottom line: technically an interestingly experimental genre film that presents a socially
dicey spectacle that I found personally repugnant."
Although most Oscar voters' opinions came down firmly on one side of the fence or the
other, there was a distinct minority that fell into the "undecided" camp.
One male member of the producers' branch was befuddled as to how he should vote, even though
he personally loved the film.
He explained,
"I don't see any reason why this movie should be out in the universe.
There is nothing in it that starts a conversation it just pours lighter fluid on a conversation
that's staring us in the face every week.
[...] I don't know if it should be banned or it should be given every award!"
Another male member of the same branch was blown away by the film's technical merits,
but nevertheless found it literally too difficult to watch due to its subject matter, saying,
"I found the craft to be stunning on every level beautiful photography, design, costumes.
But I deeply despise the movie.
[...] We had to drink away our discomfort.
[...] It was the first movie in history that was too dark for me."
Based on all of these comments, it seems like Joker has roughly a 50/50 chance of scoring
an Oscar win, and its strongest chance seems to be in the Best Actor category.
With a good number of Oscar voters on its side, though, it's possible that the flick
could score nominations for its direction and cinematography, for which its has received
pretty consistent praise.
It could even buck the odds to score a Best Picture nomination, and if it does, it's not
outside the realm of possibility that it could win; at the moment, one online odds maker
has the flick dead even with Scorsese's The Irishman as the favorites to take home the
big prize, according to Bleeding Cool.
Perhaps Joker really will get the last laugh at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, which
takes place on February 9th, 2020.
"Ah ha ha ha ha."
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