Joker 2 isn’t even the best Joker movie of 2024

And “Crime” seems to be largely about enforcing heterosexual norms through popular culture for Batman, thanks to the invasive Queebso network. This enforcement extends to the comedy world, where mentor Ra’s al Ghul (David Liebe Hart) teaches young men how to become jokers, comedians who joke about the actions they expect from women, and teaches women how they become harlequins, sexy ladies who make men laugh. Although Joker the Harlequin still presents himself as a man, he realizes that she doesn’t fit as a Joker and doesn’t necessarily want to be just a Harlequin. So she and a fellow United Clown Bureau (aka UCB) dropout, Penguin (Nathan Faustyn), form their own comedy troupe, led by muscleman Bane (Dan Curry) and non-binary Poison Ivy (a cheap CG creation with the voice of Ruin) is populated by Carroll) and others.

Joker also meets and falls in love with another Joker named Jason Todd (Kane Distler), who forces the heroine to take on the role of Harlequin for his Mr. J. As Mr. J becomes more and more controlling, she returns to the Smylex character she was assigned as a child in Smallville. Until she frees herself and becomes Joker the Harlequin, who threatens Batman’s entire fascist society simply by his existence.

An otherworld like no other

Like any other comic adaptation The people’s joker reshapes DC Comics lore for his own purposes. As opposed to something like Slide for twofrom the perspective of genuine love for the characters. The people’s joker features one deep cut after another. Robert Wuhl, who played Alexander Knox in 1989 BatmanShe appears on the celebrity influencer platform Cameo. Tim Heidecker plays Superman’s boss Perry White, here reinterpreted as a truther in the style of Alex Jones. The Creeper (Cricket Arrison) hosts a trashy talk show in which trans woman Huntress (Mia Moore Marchant) becomes the first queer person Joker ever sees.

That doesn’t even take into account all the references to the film and the adaptation, including the spinning logo transitions from the ’60s series, a deliberately crappy CG recreation of Chase Meridian seducing Batman Batman foreverand even Joker, quoting Joaquin Phoenix’s character. “I used to think my life was some kind of tragedy,” she tells her psychiatrist, before pausing and declaring, “It is.” It’s a tragic life.”

But here’s the thing. The people’s joker is a real comedy, so Drew’s delivery of the above line is not only hilarious, but also ends with the psychiatrist nodding, saying a boring “That’s good,” and writing a Smylex prescription. Instead of just heaping misery on his main character, The people’s joker builds empathy through Drew’s self-deprecating portrayal. The film keeps telling us that her comedy routine is terrible, even as she becomes increasingly popular.

Drew gets guest appearances from singers like Maria Bamford (who does the voice). Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels), Scott Aukerman (Mr. Freeze), Bob Odenkirk (Bob the Goon) and the aforementioned Heidecker, but they and their lead actors are more than capable of carrying the humor themselves.