JOKER FAILS AS BOTH PSYCH FILM AND ORIGIN STORY

The movie industry don't know anything about the schizoaffective spectrum

I would like to welcome you to my latest YouTube extravaganza about how the movie Joker attempted to be a profound film that took a realistic approach to Joker’s origin story while deep diving into the mind of a man teetering on the frayed edges of sanity. My thesis being Joker failed at both these objectives, and yet somehow was acclaimed by critics and fans alike. This has long been my unpopular opinion which always got a negative reaction when I posted it online, but with this video I have laid out a concise and persuasive argument.

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!!!

The format of this video, and my videos in general are well . . . weird. For me, weird in an interesting way, but for the casual YouTuber who doesn’t know what they are getting, it is the “what the hell is this?” kind of weird. Because I am doing two things here, I’m making Robot Chicken style skits by taking existing movies and TV footage and overdubbing the dialogue. The voices aren’t well synced to the lips but they are just close enough for the viewer to get the idea the person they are seeing is supposed to be the one saying the words.

This meme, using visuals from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” looks at the most commonly prescribed medication for schizophrenia which is Zyprexa (generic name: olanzapine). A major side effect is increased appetite which causes psych patients to constantly ask nurses for food. Patients who are on Zyprexa for years can suffer massive weight gain which leads to hypertension and diabetes. I bet you didn’t learn that from watching Joker, did you?

The end-product is a unique hybrid of video essay and meme/sketch video, one people may not be accustomed to -- and the makers of “tips on how to succeed on YouTube” videos would advise against. YouTube analytics shows a drop in viewership at the thirty-second mark. This is where the video goes on a sketch tangent where the characters of the 1960s Batman TV show have dialogue that mentions real psychiatric medications and conditions. This means in the future when structuring these future video essays I will need to introduce the sketch portions in a way that the viewer doesn’t lose the plot. Mr. Beast advises that you have a great thumbnail, and then your video must deliver even more than what your thumbnail promises. And my video does do this but requiring the viewer to have a couple of minutes of patience to see where the video is going may be too much to ask.

This is the main point of my video, that the Joker and Batman villains in general do not actually have psychiatric issues and don’t belong in a mental health institution.

The overall video is framed as a Siskel & Ebert At the Movies review. Siskel hates it for failing as a mental health movie, and Ebert hates it for failing as an origin story. My case for the origin story portion comes from the great book The Seven Basic Plots which identifies an origin story as a fairytale “rags to riches,” plot. An origin story is more often referred to a “hero’s journey” but that is a different plot that combines elements of the “rags to riches” tale. And between Siskel & Ebert they make my movie essay argument. Isn’t it cool I can write my own Siskel and Ebert reviews? I think it works, but if you don’t let me know why in the comments.

This is a format I was playing around with for awhile, the “meme-article” where I have a hot take that is worth two paragraphs and I fit it onto a meme graphic. Because who would care about my take any other way? I think this format has not taken off because it gives you all the content, there is no “click bait” with this. Anyway, Batman fans hated this and I got zero likes and hundreds of comments. Some people agreed with me but most people took the position as Hollywood apologists.

‘Nuff Said!

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