The People's Joker

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1:37

The People's Joker

2024

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

120 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

In the absurdist autobiographically-inspired dark comedy, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City's sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city.

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Critics Consensus

The People's Joker uses classic characters in impressively inventive ways, working within a familiar framework to tell an invigorating story of self-acceptance.

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Ryan Gilbey

Sight & Sound

Nov 5

The film is hectic but not haphazard, its layers merging revealingly on the level of allusion and autobiography.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Feb 28

4/5

The DC Extended Universe should take notes. This legally challenged DIY parody is, hands down, the most innovative superhero film of the decade.

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Violet Lucca

Little White Lies

Feb 14

5/5

Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker is a multihyphenate masterpiece.

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Pedro Gallego

Espinof

Aug 19

4/5

Drew pours so much of herself into this strange passion project that it's almost hard to believe she'll ever come up with another even remotely similar idea. [Full review in Spanish]

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Cody Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 22

9/10

The People’s Joker emerges as a striking testament to cinema's ability to provoke transformation—a vibrant homage to resilience, self-expression, and the relentless pursuit of authenticity.

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Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

Jul 4

B

I want to live in a world where movies as passionately personal, as relentlessly creative, as exhilarating in their "deal-with-it" truth-telling — movies like this one — aren’t such rare occasions.

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Tom F

Aug 22

A surprisingly good low budget use of DC IP to explore comedy and self discovery.

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IH H

@Inti94 Jan 7

Wouldn't recommend something this forced to anyone

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D M

12/29/2024

It was not great, from uninteresting plot to the lead being overshadowed acting wise by the other cast members A great movie to say, I support trans acting, a terrible movie overall besides that

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Shioka O

12/07/2024

Obviously it's not for everyone but I think this is not a bad satire and liked the crazy visuals. Realistic casting and people.

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Paul H

12/04/2024

I really liked the basic storyline and the acting was superb, but the madcap cinematography and lapses into absurd imagery and scenes, while exquisitely done, only diffused and diluted the story and one's ability to relate to the characters. TL;DNR: Could have been a good movie, but it was way too artsy-fartsy for its own good.

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Cedar M

10/20/2024

Genuine, funny, and truly unique! A film that I felt has a lot more to say than the source material it parodies. Worth a watch if you want something different.

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Vera Drew

Director

Vera Drew

Joker the Harlequin

Lynn Downey

Joker's Mom

Kane Distler

Mr. J

Griffin Kramer

Young Joker

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The People's Joker: Trailer 1

1:37

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Synopsis

In the absurdist autobiographically-inspired dark comedy, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City's sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city.

Director: Vera Drew
Producer: Joey Lyons
Screenwriter: Vera Drew, Bri LeRose
Distributor: Altered Innocence
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 6, 2024
Runtime: 1h 32m

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