Can a Catholic watch The Joker movie?

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Can a Catholic watch The Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix or should they give it a pass?

The acting and storyline have been praised but on the other hand the brutal violence and depiction of a the lead character, who starts off as an antihero at best, and uses his admittedly tragic life as a freudian excuse to become a supervillain sounds a bit morally ambiguous.
 
Well it’s a fictional narrative. Watching it doesn’t necessarily imply some kind of endorsement of what happens on the screen on the part of the moviegoer, the screenwriters, the actors or the director. One might wonder if it’s okay to read the Old Testament of the Bible using the same logic, as there are certainly unpleasantly violent and regrettable things that happen in the Bible.
 
Anyone can watch a movie. It’s only a movie.
But should they want to watch any given movie?
I care little about movies featuring comic book characters, so I would not give two cents to see The Joker. But, that’s just me.
 
It was a really good movie, especially for fans of the genre. There’s nothing sinful or inherently wrong with the movie itself that would be problematic for a Catholic to watch.

In fact most people have avoided it because they have no interest in a movie based on a comic book character.

However, the movie had very little to do with anything that the Joker is known for. To watch it you’d think it was about a man who finally goes over the edge after a lifetime of hurt and loss and if it wasn’t for references to the fictional city of Gotham you wouldn’t think it was a comic book movie at all.

It’s very similar in tone to movies like Taxi driver and Falling Down.
 
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Why would he/she want to? Check out an incredible film Ignatius of Loyola on the Formed app or website. Well worth the time and you will be inspired.
 
I intend on watching on the movie, but only because I agree with the director on certain subjects that will anger certain people on this platform. I also hear the cinematography is great and the movie is a great mirror to the society we live in currently.

Some people might see the film as propaganda, others as a societal warning. I say watch it for yourself. If you can read the Book of Judges or Maccabees and not get turned off by the violence in it you will be fine watching this movie.
 
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From what I can tell, the ‘message’ of the film is somewhat garbled and ambiguous. But it does sound like a dreary kind of filmgoing experience, not the kind that I would normally seek out - as one might expect when you consider it’s the origin story of a supervillain, without any superhero involved to provide a counter-balance. I guess it’s meant to be a tragedy more than an action picture. If someone had cared enough to step in and lend the antihero a hand, he would have avoided becoming the Joker.
 
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How else can a Catholic become desensitized to gratuitous violence and emotionally disturbing plotlines?
 
I do not plan to see it, or financially support it by buying a ticket.

We already have more than enough violence and hatred to fuel more gasoline to the fire.

There are far better options, although I have no doubt Joaquin performance might win him an Oscar, I do not see how this movie contributes toward a better society.
 
People have to use their own judgment on this. I have no plans to see it, but that decision doesn’t really have anything to do with Catholicism.
 
Of course I pass judgement, that is why movies have a rating, so that you do not need to see them before knowing what to expect.

Rated-R for Bloody Violence and Disturbing Behaviour, if you think this is something good to see as a catholic it’s your choice, but I think it is very clearly wrong.

The hardest part of being a Catholic is not about understanding it, but living it, that is where the real test lies.
 
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War movies have bloody violence. Should Catholics not see them?

I do not believe you can make generalizations and then claim Catholics should or should not watch. Do you expect people to live with blinders on, avoiding every violent thing? If so, then no one should watch the news either.
 
CarmeliteKnight said:
Have a meme to lighten up the mood.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
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Can you explain this meme? I saw the movie. What does this have to do with the movie? What is funny about the n word on a Catholic forum?
 
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If I have to explain the joke than it kills the humor of the joke. Not really a reason to flag it and have it removed, tbh.
 
It’s excellent. I would recommend all (adult) catholics to watch it.
 
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You are free to do as you please, however if a war movie is rated R, I would not waste my time on seeing gory, bloody violent content.

I do not think that would help me in any way to become a better Christian. I am well aware violence is real and exists, however that does not mean that I must see violent movies rated R that come to the theatres. They only serve to fuel more hatred and violence into society. No wonder why so many evil things are happening.

Besides there are great movies and Catholic content to see, so why go after violent movies, when there are so much better alternatives.
 
First, there’s actually hardly violence. The Rambo films have more violence than Joker, and Rambo never got hard R ratings. Two, this is a character study and social commentary film. It shows a man, already down, and both literally and figuratively get beaten up by society and circumstances. Three, this is not about THE Joker, but it is about Joker; on that last one there might be something that might tell whether he is or is not THE Joker, but that depends on how you see the whole film. Bottomline, it is a great film that is disturbing, thanks to Joaquin Phoenix’s acting as well as the questions that it asks.
 
Johann_du_Toit said:
or should they give it a pass?
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Pass!

You know in advance it’s going to be disturbing, loaded with hollywood’s “justifiable” retaliatory-violence solutions.

Just like porn, why would you allow your precious eyes to see that.

Think how good you’ll feel not giving your money to such a sinful industry.
 
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Johann_du_Toit said:
Can a Catholic watch The Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix or should they give it a pass?
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Give it a pass. You’ve provided the reasons yourself. This film suggests that Evil, as represented by arguably the darkest character ever to feature in any modern story, is a consequence of having been treated unkindly by an unsympathetic society. This idea is insidious, and harmful in the extreme.
 
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