‘The People's Joker' Director Vera Drew Actually Enjoyed the ‘Sexy Grossness' of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux'
'Joker: Folie à Deux' may not have many fans, but those who do appreciate its contrarian energy really love saying so. No, we're not just talking about Quentin Tarantino, but 'The People's Joker' herself, Vera Drew. Speaking in a recent interview with 'The Independent,' the indie filmmaker voiced her admiration for co-writer/director Todd Phillips' efforts and the whole team's commitment to subverting expectations.
'It's a middle finger to incels and 'Joker' (2019) fans,' said Drew. 'There's a sequence in 'Joker 2' where Joaquin Phoenix loses his virginity to Lady Gaga, and he cums in less than four seconds. How could I not love that film? It had a sexy grossness to it that I was just not anticipating. Todd Phillips, please call me.'
More from IndieWire
Jack Haven Says Because of 'I Saw the TV Glow' People Are Coming Out as Trans 'Faster Than Their Passports Can Be Revoked'
Jane Fonda Offers 'Good Luck' to Teams Behind Remakes of 'Barbarella' and '9 to 5'
This praise carries a huge weight coming from Drew, as 'Joker' was the film that kicked off a journey that resulted in her own creation, 'The People's Joker.' At the time, Phillips had shared how 'woke culture' had pushed him away from comedy and toward more serious material, a fact Drew's eventual co-writer Bri LeRose responded to by tweeting, 'I will only watch this coward's Joker movie if Vera Drew re-edits it.' And thus, 'The People's Joker' was born. And though she would spend years obsessing over every kind of Joker there has ever been, she was still willing to take time out for one more with 'Joker: Folie à Deux.'
'I had to see it opening night, just because I needed to get over it, to see the movie and stop thinking about these fucking characters,' Drew said. 'And it reinvigorated me. I don't think anything that cost $200m and, you know, stars Lady Gaga, is really punk per se, but it didn't give you anything you wanted.'
Though Drew may have offered high marks to the critically panned box-office bomb, she had less kind words for the studio behind the film, Warner Bros. Discovery. In 2022, days ahead of her film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the company sent a communication to Drew emphasizing its objections to her project. Many misconstrued this as an official cease and desist, causing Drew to have to cancel screenings of 'The People's Joker' at TIFF and other festivals.
'It was just like this strongly worded letter,' Drew told The Independent. 'Saying that we don't approve, and don't think you should be allowed to screen or profit off this film. And we want you to show this letter to anybody who is interested in exhibiting it. Which was devastating. They literally waited until the last minute.'
Despite these tactics, Drew's film still exists within the parameters of parody law, allowing it eventually to continue its rollout in 2023 at OutFest, followed by a U.S. theatrical release in April 2024. Now the film is even headed to the U.K., which Drew unaffectionately referred to as 'Terf Island,' an allusion to the rampant transphobia that still exists there, largely brought on by fellow storytellers like J.K. Rowling. She does hope that will change though, now that they get to experience 'The People's Joker.'
'It feels like trans art is really needed there right now,' said Drew.
Best of IndieWire
Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See
'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie
The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Wang Cong wanted more 'Joker' at UFC 316, but still chasing Valentina Shevchenko rematch
Wang Cong wanted more 'Joker' at UFC 316, but still chasing Valentina Shevchenko rematch Show Caption Hide Caption UFC 316: Wang Cong post-fight interview UFC 316 winner Wang Cong spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after her unanimous decision victory over Ariane da Silva. NEWARK, N.J. – Wang Cong met the media Saturday after her win over Ariane da Silva at UFC 316. Cong (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) outworked da Silva (17-11 MMA, 6-8 UFC) for a unanimous decision on the preliminary card at Prudential Center. The fight was marred by a huge weight miss from da Silva – 7 pounds – and subsequent 25 percent penalty paid to Cong. But she said she should have finished da Silva and should have been 'crazy like 'The Joker.'' A decade ago, Cong beat current UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in a kickboxing match, and now has her sights set on her in MMA. 'I feel like this fight showed where I am, and I'm ready to go back and train crazy,' Cong said through her translator after the win. Check out Cong's post-fight news conference in the video above.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Roman Polanski's ‘An Officer and a Spy' to Play in U.S., Six Years After Venice Premiere
Roman Polanski's 'An Officer and a Spy' is finally getting a U.S. release, six years after premiering at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize under Lucrecia Martel's jury. The film, which won four of its 12 César nominations including Best Director in 2020, is now set for a two-week limited engagement, starting August 8, at New York City's Film Forum. Film Forum isn't handling the release beyond showings at its own venue, IndieWire has learned, which were booked by 'An Officer and a Spy' producer Alain Goldman. News of the engagement was included deep into Film Forum's summer programming announcement that went out Monday, June 9 (and also highlighted by World of Reel). More from IndieWire 'Horsegirls' Review: The World's Most Unexpected Sport Provides a Clever Way Into This Very Personal Dramedy Chanel Returns to New York City for Its Star-Studded 18th Annual Tribeca Artists Dinner 'An Officer and a Spy' is led by Louis Garrel, who portrays French army Captain Alfred Dreyfus after his trial. The politically scandalous Dreyfus affair took place around the turn of the 19th century in France, with Dreyfus banished to Devil's Island after being found guilty of treason, accused of spreading military secrets to Germany. It was later discovered that the trial's verdict was decided upon, and with little evidence, due to Dreyfus' Jewish faith amid a climate of antisemitism in France. In the film, Jean Dujardin plays the French head of counter-espionage, Georges Picquart, who eventually helped reveal Dreyfus' innocence amid Picquart's own arrest and imprisonment for his views. The scandal was first depicted onscreen by Georges Méliès in 1899. Polanski's film comes with a personal bent: The Oscar-winning director, who has been accused and charged of various counts of sexual assault and has since exiled himself from Hollywood after numerous legal battles, distributed press notes before the premiere of 'An Officer and a Spy' at Venice, citing the parallels between his career and Dreyfus' legacy. 'I can see the same determination to deny the facts and condemn me for things I have not done,' Polanski wrote. 'My work is not therapy. However, I must admit that I am familiar with many of the workings of the apparatus of persecution shown in the film, and that has clearly inspired me.' 'An Officer and a Spy' went on to receive four nominations at the European Film Awards as well as its 12 César noms — the most that year at the French film honors — after a theatrical release in Europe. The film hasn't been seen in the U.S. until now. Polanski's last movie to receive a U.S. release was 2017's 'Based on a True Story.' Other assault allegations have followed the director since he sexually assaulted Samantha Geimer in 1977 when she was 13, leading North American distributors to distance themselves from his work. Geimer has since forgiven and even defended Polanski. 'An Officer and a Spy,' however, is not even Polanski's most recent movie. His 2023 'The Palace,' also a Venice Film Festival premiere, starred Mickey Rourke and John Cleese and garnered the kind of excorciating reviews for its eat-the-rich satire that all but guaranteed the film would never play in the U.S. It was a box-office bomb in Europe. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Emmy experts predict Drama Series race: ‘Severance' out front, but watch out for ‘The Pitt'
As Emmy voting begins, can Severance hold onto its momentum as the Best Drama Series frontrunner, or might another show steal its thunder? Four top Emmy experts — Variety's Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg, Indiewire's Marcus Jones, Deadline's Pete Hammond — predict the race with moderator and Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum in our latest slugfest (watch above). "We have to talk about Severance — that's Apple's main play," says Jones. The sci-fi series has been the category's de facto leader all season long. HBO and Max have an incredible amount of product this year, he says, including The Pitt, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, Industry, and House of the Dragon. He also declares Hulu's apocalyptic series Paradise to be "one of the big newcomers" of the year, with "an amazing performance from Sterling K. Brown." More from GoldDerby 'You killed America's sweetheart!' Kaitlyn Dever teased for offing Pedro Pascal by 'Last of Us' cast, creators as bigger role looms in Season 3 Dan Fogelman and team on the making of 'Paradise': 'It only works if you have talented people who you trust' 'Thank you for dying': 'Squid Game' creator, cast share deeper meanings of hit Netflix series, reveal on-set flower ceremonies for 'killed' actors Feinberg agrees that The Pitt is "the most obvious" freshman drama to receive a nomination, adding, "I think it could even end up winning." Looking beyond the frontrunners, he's "impressed" by how many voters are telling him they're watching Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple TV+. But what about Landman? "That's a real wild card to me because, out in the real world, everybody's watching it, but it's TBD who's watching it in the TV Academy." Hulu "There are a lot of good possibilities in the drama series category," says Hammond. The Handmaid's Tale ended its final season amid "everything going on in the world, and seemingly this show has turned into a documentary, ... Handmaid's Tale is now true life!" As for The Pitt, he thinks it's "so hard to watch" because of all the realistic medical stories, and wishes there were commercials. "I need a break [from all the blood]." Davis is already looking ahead to the Emmy ceremony, claiming, "Win-wise, I think this is Severance vs. The Pitt for the rest of the year. I think The Pitt is so Homeland Season 1 coded. I want to know how many nominations it gets before I can really cross over and say it can do it." He also creates a stir when he mentions how Pedro Pascal should drop down to supporting for The Last of Us because it's "more appropriate" after what happens to his character in Season 2. As for shows that people are actually watching "in the real world," Birnbaum singles out Matlock, with its star Kathy Bates on the cusp of being the oldest winner ever for Best Drama Actress. "It's just such a strong narrative," she says. "You have to imagine voters are going to get swept up with that." Which Emmy expert do you agree with the most? Be sure to make your predictions and join the Emmy discussion in our TV forum. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate on playing best friends in 'Dying for Sex': 'It was love at first sight' Dan Fogelman and team on the making of 'Paradise': 'It only works if you have talented people who you trust' Brandon Scott Jones on CBS' 'Ghosts': 'I enjoy playing characters that are desperate' Click here to read the full article.
