Vera Drew’s comedic queer comic book parody has earned rave reviews since arriving on April 5.
The Big Picture
-
The People’s Joker
is expanding to more cinemas across North America due to widespread acclaim. - The film faced challenges with Warner Bros. regarding its initial release but now boasts a Certified Fresh 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- The absurdist queer take on The Clown Prince of Crime explores gender identity and transitioning.
The People’s Joker just can’t stop winning since it arrived in theaters earlier this month. The completely unlicensed queer DC superhero parody film from I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson editor Vera Drew will soon roll out to more locations across North America with its biggest cinema expansion to date in response to the widespread acclaim it has received. Starting this Friday, venues in Seattle, Boston, Portland, New Orleans, Houston, Washington D.C., and more will welcome the film onto the big screen with holdovers announced for the IFC Center in New York, Nitehawk Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Nuart Theater in Los Angeles, Sie Film Center in Denver, the Fox Theater in Toronto, and the Apollo Cinema in Kitchener.
Loosely riffing off the story of Todd Phillips‘s megahit Joker from 2019, The People’s Joker faced a long road to finding success among the public. Following a screening at Midnight Madness at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, Warner Bros. stepped in to shut down Drew’s unofficial work, resulting in it being pulled from all future events. Last year, however, Altered Innocence stepped in to help distribute the trans-coming-of-age story, which Drew insisted fell under fair use. The spotlight wasn’t too bright for the film WB didn’t want you to see, as critics, including Collider’s Ross Bonaime, were over the moon about it to the tune of a Certified Fresh 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. With its new expansion, The People’s Joker will be available to a far wider audience and even appear in 15 Alamo Drafthouse locations.
In addition to being an absurdist queer take on The Clown Prince of Crime, Drew also tells a deeply personal, “autobiographically-inspired” story about gender identity and transitioning through her lead role as the woefully unfunny Harlequin the Joker. An aspiring clown angling for their big break in the lone comedy program in a Gotham City where comedy is illegal, they rise against the establishment with an anti-comedy troupe full of the city’s rejects and misfits. Their antics put the group in the crosshairs of the much more fascistic and “down-low gay” caped crusader, who enforces the law of the land.
‘The People’s Joker’ Features a Cavalcade of Comedic Stars
Drew and co-writer Bri LeRose also pull no punches in lampooning superheroes with the dark comedy. In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff at TIFF, the director and star said that “the whole spirit of this production was, I’m going to break every single rule that I was taught in comedy, in presenting my gender, in what we’re told superhero movies should be about. So really, when I would get a note that would make me go like, ‘Ah,’ it would actually be really easy for me to go like, ‘No, thank you, actually. We’re gonna do this.” Drew got to work with some serious star power on set, including Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk alongside Tim Heidecker, Scott Auckerman, Maria Bamford, David Liebe Hart, and Robert Wuhl.
The People’s Joker opens in many more locations throughout this week, with the majority of openings coming on April 19. Drew’s colorful DC parody will then hit another wave of theaters starting next week. A full list of showtimes can be found on Altered Innocence’s official website.
The People’s Joker (2024)
An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2023
- Director
- Vera Drew
- Cast
- Scott Aukerman , Maria Bamford , Christian Calloway , Tim Heidecker , Bob Odenkirk
- Runtime
- 92 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
This article was originally published on collider.com