‘The People’s Joker’ Review — Vera Drew’s Smart Parody Gets the Last Laugh

The road to getting The People’s Joker released in theaters has been a long one. After making its premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, later screenings were canceled due to “rights issues.” Considering that the film was largely a parody of DC properties, it seemed entirely likely that the film might never see the light of day. But now, nearly two years after its initial premiere, The People’s Joker finally got a release. It was well worth the wait. Starring, directed, edited, and co-written by Vera Drew, it is a powerful take on her own story, a look at gender, transitioning, the world of comedy, and familial issues—all in a story that simply uses the world of DC characters to further explain her feelings in a more concise and entertaining way.

What Is ‘The People’s Joker’ About?

The film begins with Drew as Joker the Harlequin, before a performance on a late-night show. She tells us her story, beginning with her as a young child (Griffin Kramer) in Smallville whose mother is disturbed when she’s asked “Was I born in the wrong body?” This leads to a therapy session at Arkham Asylum with Dr. Crane (Christian Calloway), who gives the child Smylex, a drug that always makes sure the user puts on a happy face.

But once a teenager, this child decides to move to Gotham to become a comedian on the show UCB Live. Upon starting the show, our lead is told that they are a male joker—which is seen as a positive, as that means they’ll have a long career ahead of them—as opposed to the female Harlequins, who are little more than backup dancers. Fed up with the fees and restrictions of the show, our hero becomes friends with Oswald Cobblepot (Nathan Faustyn), and the pair decides to open their own theater for their brand of anti-comedy.

While performing there, our comedian meets Mr. J (Kane Distler), a trans male comedian who takes a liking to our lead. This relationship is both a gift and a curse, as it helps our lead realize that she’s a transgender woman, but thanks to Mr. J’s abusive past with Batman (Phil Braun), much of that same abusive behavior has been brought over to this relationship. Our lead dives into a vat of estrogen to transition and become Joker the Harlequin, accepting her identity and taking the comedy world by storm.

‘The People’s Joker’ Works Because of Vera Drew Thriving in Front of and Behind the Camera

Drew explains that for her, going to see Batman Forever in theaters was an eye-opening experience that made her realize she wanted to be Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) instead of Batman (Val Kilmer). By using the format of a Batman story, Drew can tell her story with humor and smart parallels, exploring this formative time in her life in a way that doesn’t get overwhelmed by the darkness. We can read between the lines of what Drew and Bri LeRose’s screenplay is saying about this period, without being told the harsh details of what really happened. That being said, the metaphors within The People’s Joker don’t always work. Sometimes, the Batman parody itself feels like it’s losing the deeper themes within this story. But these moments are easy to overlook, considering the larger purpose and drive of the narrative, and how aptly Drew presents these ideas within this context.

What makes this wild, ambitious experiment work is Drew, who not only bares her soul via this screenplay, but gives a hilarious, weird, and often touching performance as Joker the Harlequin. Drew is telling the story not just of her transition and self-acceptance, but her coming up in the comedy world, and the difficulties of not fitting into a box within that scene. If anything, this is a more scathing look at the comedy scene and Saturday Night Live than it is anything having to do with DC, complete with a terrifying portrayal of an animated Lorne Michaels (voiced by Maria Bamford). But in this leading role, Drew brilliantly balances everything this story needs her to be: a compelling lead, a funny protagonist, the emotional core of the story, and the front of this wild parody.

Drew has a history of working as an editor on several excellent comedy series, like Comedy Bang! Bang!, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and received an Emmy nomination for her work on Who Is America? So it makes sense that The People’s Joker has impeccable timing and manages to contain all of these concepts and ideas into one narrative that doesn’t feel overblown or like it’s trying to bite off more than it can chew. This film is trying to do a lot, and for someone taking on as much as Drew is with her first feature, it’s a testament to her that this all comes together in a way that actually makes sense.

‘The People’s Joker’ Looks Unlike Anything Else Out There

Drew is also an idiosyncratic figure behind the camera, creating a film that is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Drew crowdsourced from over 100 artists to bring this world to life, utilizing these talents for everything from backgrounds to character animations. We all know Gotham as a strange, unpredictable place, but through the lens of Drew, everything is in motion, mystifying and unexpected—like the type of place you’d think some of the world’s greatest monsters would be born out of. Yet all these different styles and concepts never clash with each other, only speaking to the distinctive, eccentric state of this world, where everyone simply wants to be who they want to be.

Yet The People’s Joker is also just a delightful take on DC movies as well, and Drew shows love and care for these characters. Drew makes for an excellent take on Joker, while Distler’s Mr. J is an intriguing recontextualization of the history behind Jason Todd, Joker, and Batman. David Liebe Hart, mostly known for his work on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, is a strange, but clever choice for Ra’s al Ghul, who is an improv teacher in this version of Gotham. But the standout beyond the Jokers here is Faustyn as The Penguin, who is turned into a fish-loving comic trying to help Joker the Harlequin run her anti-comedy show. Faustyn simply turns Copplepot into a struggling comedian, and in context, this shift makes perfect sense. It’s not a performance that necessitates the massive transformation that Danny DeVito or Colin Farrell brought to the character, but it’s a delightful, humorous take.

Especially in a world where superhero films have started to feel stale, with Marvel bringing back actors that audiences have nostalgia for, and DC attempting an entirely new vision for their cinematic universe, The People’s Joker is a breath of fresh air. Drew shows how these characters and universes can be utilized to tell exciting, fresh stories, and not just rehash old ideas. Granted, these studios aren’t going to actively make something as absurd as The People’s Joker, but watching someone outside the studio system take the reins of these worlds and play in that sandbox makes for one of the best comedies of the year. We don’t need to give Robert Downey Jr. another part in the MCU, or try to milk the Batman universe for all it’s worth, we need more people like Drew who can showcase the ludicrous nature of superheroes and just shake things up a bit.

The People’s Joker is a bold vision, a mixture of a coming-of-age story and parody, infused with a transition story that is emotionally powerful and absolutely necessary. Drew is an exciting filmmaker and performer, creating something wholly original in a story that relies on a world and characters that we already know. The People’s Joker isn’t just a brilliant satire, it’s a remarkable testimony from Drew. While the film isn’t without its speedbumps, it’s an excellent piece of work that is unlike anything out there.

The People’s Joker (2024)

Vera Drew’s ‘The People’s Joker’ is a hilarious film that blends a coming-of-age story with parody into a movie that is wholly unique.

Pros

• Vera Drew tells a captivating story about transition by utilizing characters and worlds we’re familiar with.
• Drew is an excellent lead, mixing humor with moments of heartbreaking honesty.
• By working with over a hundred artists, The People’s Joker looks unlike any other film out there.

Cons

• The metaphors and how Drew’s story intersects with the larger parody at hand don’t always go together perfectly.

The People’s Joker is now available to stream on VOD in the U.S.

WATCH ON VOD