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Film · 2019

Joker

Directed by Todd Phillips · starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz

2 h 2 min
R18
Thriller · Drama · Crime
USA
Released in the UK 3 October 2019

7.9 AverageMovieNCo
8.4 Users79 votes
7.4 Critics10 reviews

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Synopsis

The origin story for Batman's iconic nemesis begins in the 1980s with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix, 'Her'), a clown-for-hire in Gotham City. Gotham is suffering under the weight of criminal activity and poverty, with Arthur and his ailing mother Penny (Frances Conroy, 'Six Feet Under') struggling to make ends meet.

Whilst Penny writes to her former employer Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen, 'True Detective') in a cry for help, Arthur watches episodes of the talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro, 'The Irishman') and dreams of being recognised, finding the prospect of fame preferable to his current routine of clown work, taking prescription medication for his pathological laughter, and secretly yearning for his next door neighbour, Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz, 'Deadpool 2').

When the gun given to Arthur by his co-worker for self-defense purposes after his mugging is discovered and Arthur is fired, he watches as the city continues to fall on hard times, with the mental health facility he'd relied on for his medication shutting down. It's not long before the city begins to rise up against the rich and corrupt, with Arthur at the helm of the anarchy as he descends slowly into madness as the infamous DC villain, the Joker.

'Joker' is directed by Todd Phillips ('War Dogs').

Where to watch Joker

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Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime: 122 min2 hours and 2 minutes
Budget: $55mDC Comics
Box office: $334.5m6.1 times its budget
Rating: R18To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas to adults of not less than 18 years

How long is Joker?: 2 hours and 2 minutes (122 minutes).
When was Joker released in the UK?: It was released in the UK on 3 October 2019.
Who directed Joker?: Todd Phillips.
Who is in Joker?: It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy.
Where can I watch Joker?: In the UK it is available with a subscription on HBO Max, Netflix and Prime Video, with a channel on Now and to rent on Apple TV.
How much did Joker make?: It took $334.5 million in US. It cost $55 million.

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Videos and trailers

'Joker' trailer 2:2411 September 2019

Photos and posters

+22 photosand 12 posters

Reviews

8.4 79 votes

1019 %
929 %
834 %
76 %
66 %
≤55 %

What the critics say average 7.4 from 10 outlets

10 The GuardianXan Brooks Joaquin Phoenix provides a comic-book hero for the left behind with Joker, a brilliantly insurrectionist origins story. It?s a tale that?s almost as twisted as the man at its centre, bulging with… Read
5.8 IndiewireDavid Ehrlich 'Joker' is the boldest and most exciting superhero movie since 'The Dark Knight'. It's also incendiary, confused, and potentially toxic. Read
2.0 TimeStephanie Zacharek The movie?s cracks ? and it?s practically all cracks ? are stuffed with phony philosophy. 'Joker' is dark only in a stupidly adolescent way, but it wants us to think it?s imparting subtle political… Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend

Budget $55m
US $334.5m
UK £58.2m

Awards

Academy Awards (Oscars) 2020 2 of 11 nominations Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Golden Globes 2020 2 of 4 nominations Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, Best Original Score - Motion Picture
BAFTA Awards 2020 3 of 12 nominations Won: Film Best Actor, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music
Actor Awards 2020 1 of 2 nominations Won: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Razzie Awards 2020 1 nomination

Soundtrack

Temptation RagClaude Bolling Spotify
Murray's ThemeEllis Drane, his Jazz Orchestra Spotify
Everybody Plays The FoolThe Main Ingredient Spotify
The Moon Is A Silver DollarLawrence Welk, His Orchestra Spotify

Trivia

Thomas Wayne

Alec Baldwin was announced to play Bruce Wayne's father, Thomas Wayne. However, days later he said he would not do the movie due to scheduling conflicts, adding he was sure that "there are 25 guys who can play that part". Viggo Mortensen also rejected the role.
Joker's mother

Frances McDormand turned down the role of the Arthur Fleck/Joker's mother, Penny.
Dangerous weight

Joaquin Phoenix lost a lot of weight for his role as the Joker. It was so serious that filming could only be done once, with no opportunity for reshoots. Todd Phillips had to write the script during production.
A very real make-up

The Joker's make-up is very similar to John Wayne Gacy's, a serial killer who would often entertain children while dressed as "Pogo the clown". This make-up style was shunned by working clowns at the time as they strictly prohibit "sharp" ends in their make up, as it scares children.
And the Oscar goes to...

Three of the previous actors who have played the Joker - Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Jared Leto - are Oscar winners (with Ledger winning for playing The Joker). Joaquin Phoenix has been nominated for an Oscar three times.

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