The 92nd Academy Awards are set to air this Sunday and with them a slew of controversy. The overall lack of representation has reared its head for many categories, and the show remains a hostless mess.
Without a doubt, though, one of the more controversial films to be nominated this year is Todd Phillips’s Joker, the dramatic adaptation of the Batman villain’s backstory. Out of all of its nominations, the best actor award seems to be tailor-made for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. Here are five reasons he deserves it to win it, and five reasons he doesn’t.
Should: He Finally Deserves A Win
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most remarkable performers of his generation. His varied filmography stretches across genres and mediums, earning him praise across the board from his peers, filmmakers, and the general public.
Phoenix has been nominated three times before Joker, earning attention for his performances in The Master (2012), Walk the Line (2005), and Gladiator (2000). After giving so much to his craft, Phoneix deserves some recognition—if not for this performance, then for his many before.
Shouldn’t: A Lot Of Acting Isn’t Always Best Acting
There is an unfortunate trend among the Academy to award the actor or actress who gave the most bombastic and unhinged performance the most significant accolades. It can be seen among many of the acting categories throughout the year, with Allison Janey beating out equally impressive but more subdued performances such as Laurie Metcalf in 2018.
The constant praise towards Joaquin’s performance in the role shows a profound misunderstanding of the craft of acting. Joaquin’s performance is commendable, but it takes just as much work and concentration to bring to life roles such as Adam Driver’s in Marriage Story or Johnathan Pryce in The Two Popes.
Should: It Would Be A Win For The Comic Book Genre
The divide between critics, filmmakers, and fans of comic book movies has never felt more prevalent. With the overblown conversations surrounding Martin Scorsese’s comments on the genre paired with the nomination of Phoenix’s performance, the conversation has hit its peak.
It Joaquin Phoneix was to win the award for best actor, it would be a legitimization for the genre moving forward. It would assist in the legacy already set forth by other oscar-winning films such as Black Panther and Into The Spider-Verse.
Shouldn’t: Heath Ledger Already Won For The Same Role
While it isn’t a disqualifier, there is a bit of a bitter taste when one considers Heath Ledger had already been awarded for his performance as the same character. The two characterizations might be vastly different, but it is still the same literary and film character.
Why should the academy award a performance that is a reimagining of many others while four other performances are treading far newer and original ground? This is not a knock on the performance itself, but a call for a reevaluation of what should and should not be awarded—or, in this case, re-rewarded.
Should: His Portrayal Of Mental Illness Was Startlingly Accurate
One of the most uneasy aspects of Joaquin’s performance in Joker was the deep commitment to realism, especially when it came to Arthur’s mental illness. Phoneix is a well-known method player, and, as such, immersed himself in conversations, literature, and experiences of real-world mental illness patients.
The physicality, vocalization, and mannerisms were all startlingly accurate, leaving Arthur as a tragically believable and underserved victim of his own trauma and broader systems. For the first time, you saw the real tragedy behind the clown makeup, and what could turn a broken person into a villain.
Shouldn’t: The Tonal Dissonance Of Pairing Realism With Comics
Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoneix fully committed to telling a story steeped in realism, with all the blood and grit that you could imagine. Sadly, while it is viscerally affective, pairing it with the comic book background of the character, the city, and the ensemble creates a cacophony of disjointed parts.
There is a limit between the fantastical and escapist worlds of characters like the Joker and their realistic reimagining. Joker steps a bit too far to really drive its point (if it has any) home. The minute the iconography of this comic is stamped over this story, it seems to lose a lot of its thematic power.
Should: His Physical Commitment To The Role
While the Academy has a tendency to over-nominate those who drastically change their appearance (we’re looking at you, Christian Bale), there’s no denying how committed Phoneix was to become the character of Arthur physically.
The amount of weight that Phoneix lost was astonishing, clocking in at a weight loss of fifty-two pounds. This weight loss lead to a body that was easily contorted and twisted into angles that were beyond offputting. His appearance alone deserves some sort of recognition.
Shouldn’t: There Was A Lot Of Preexisting Material To Work From
While some of the other performances this year are representing real-life individuals, Joaquin’s Phoneix has so much baggage and inspiration from other projects it almost unbearable. Not only does the character he’s playing have a history in print that spans decades, but the film itself also has to contend with a cinematic history of inspiration.
Many, many people have played the Joker since the character’s creation for comics. Whether its voice acting or live-action, there is a lot to pull from. Looking past the origins of the property, the film itself is heavily inspired by Martin Scorcese’s earliest works. The entire movie feels like an amalgamation of other films and comics of the past.
Should: It Would Be A Populist Win For The Oscars
To say there is a divide among the general public, critics, and Academy voters would be an understatement. Voters seem to want to award a huge mixed bag of films, critics want to award lesser-known and celebrated films, and much of the general public wants mainstream representation at the awards.
If Joker was to win in any category—but especially acting—it would be a huge populist win between the Academy and the general public. While many critics might disagree with the choice, a huge proponent of mass audience members would celebrate it.
Shouldn’t: Much Of His Other Work Was More Deserving Of Oscar Attention
As stated, Joaquin Phoneix has been nominated several times for his other roles in films, such as The Master. While those nominations, as well as this one, were earned, there’s no denying that it is a strange move not to nominate a lot of his other, far more deserving performances.
The one that instantly comes to mind for many critics is You Were Never Really Here. The film and Phoenix’s performance tread a lot of similar ground as Joker but do so in a very different—and arguably better—way. This is another physically transformative role from Phoneix, who gained a ton of weight for the film.
