Bob GarverSpecial to Valley NewsBack in 2019, “Joker” managed to make over $1 billion at the global box office and earn itself 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Actor win for Joaquin Phoenix. I recall respecting the movie for Phoenix’s performance and the inspired idea to paint him as a Scorsese-style antihero, but I also recall not really “enjoying” the film in the traditional sense where I laughed or was thrilled very much. The film took a very realistic, mental-health heavy approach to the origin of the beloved Batman baddie, and I couldn’t help but feel that a movie that combined an evil clown with the world of standup comedy shouldn’t feel so grounded. In other words, “Why So Serious?”Five years later, Phoenix and director Todd Phill
