THE PEOPLE’S JOKER

Director: Vera Drew

92min., NR

Cast: THE PEOPLE’S JOKER features a superhero-sized cast of celebrated comedic talent in both voice and live action roles behind the vibrant kaleidoscope of characters that lampoon the iconic heroes and villains of the DC comics’ world, featuring cameos from comedy multi-hyphenate Tim Heidecker, award-winning actor Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford (Netflix’s Big Mouth, Adult Swim’s Teenage Euthanasia), and Scott Aukerman (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis co-creator and host of the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast), with Vera Drew, Lynn Downey (Amazon Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six), Nathan Faustyn (SADDLED), and Kane Distler, in his film debut as Mister J.

 

To quote Cole Porter, “It’s too too too darn hot” for much of anything except joining some friends at Cinestudio for July’s sizzling Out Film CT Queer Thursdays movie! It’s a queer DC Comics hilarious parody set in a dystopian future – yes, Warner Brothers tried to keep it from being screened publicly for 2 years – and isn’t remotely like any superhero film you’ve ever seen. Catwoman, Poison Ivy and the Penguin are allies to its gender-bending antihero, an aspiring standup comedian who calls herself Joker the Harlequin. (writer/director Drew.) It is set in a world where only straight comedy is allowed, gay children are given happy drugs, and Batman is basically a sex offender. Luckily, the Joker joins a renegade bunch of alt-comedians working in an abandoned warehouse who help them celebrate being trans. “The People’s Joker will likely become a gateway for queers, of any age, inspired to right wrongs in a truly gay way. As is our right.” Kelly McClure, Salon.com