Can a Catholic watch The Joker movie?

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Like I said we must all make a determination whether it worth the time and money to see it. I do not find anything about this film to help me be a better Catholic and there are far better Catholic options out there.

I’ve also read reviews of it from Catholic websites stating:

“The film contains a vengeance theme, gun and knife violence, some gore, and fleeting rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.”

I think there are better options out there to spend my time, and this film seems to only fuel more hatred and violence to an already serious issue, no need for any more of it. Films should inspire us to be and become better not worse.
 
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Chris Stuckmann’s main issue with Joker is that it follows Taxi Driver too much. Watch his (non spoiler) review (I also suggest those who haven’t seen it to at least watch the review so you might have some idea about it):

 
If anybody going to see the movie Joker thinks its going to be an action movie similar to Suicide Squad or Venom where the stars are bad guys and mayhem rules, they are in for a real disappointment. Joker is a fairly slow paced movie with a few violent scenes. Don’t get me wrong though, just because its slow paced and not really an entertaining movie, it is a great portrait of how at times people degrade others in our society. I don’t recommend this movie for anyone under 16 years of age. It’s disturbing.
 
Falling Down was an intense tale. Explained how a psychologically damaged person may behave. A very interesting movie.
One thing about “Falling Down” that I think was really effective is that while most of us would not do what Michael Douglas’s character does in the movie, we can identify on some level with the incredible frustrations of modern life that drove him mad.
 
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I went to see the movie today.

Beyond excellent. A very deeply textured, dark, intense psychological thriller. I commented that it was not even like watching an American movie — more like French or possibly Russian. Extremely violent in spots. No sex, a very fleeting image of nudity (I had heard about it but couldn’t even make it out, it was that quick), and no language that any of us haven’t heard ten thousand times before. Joaquin deserves an Oscar.

I don’t want to spoil the movie, but the very end of it could be interpreted as saying the story was only in Arthur’s imagination, that some or all of the movie never really happened. One of the characters (I won’t spoil it by saying which one) may have been intended as a somewhat muted Donald Trump. Also, it’s implied that Arthur and his mother are Catholic — there is a picture of Our Lady holding the infant Jesus. I don’t see the “incel” theme that some have mentioned — Arthur has an attractive girlfriend and a scene of them on a date is one of the few happy spots in the movie.

There is nothing problematical in this movie for a mature Catholic.
 
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There is a lot worse than that right on netflix. Soft core porn galore and violence that is hard to fathom. My brother was watching “slasher” or something like that, and I had to hide behind my laptop, or end up in mortal sin.

Joker doesn’t descend to that depth from what I have read. What they are worried about is inciting troubled teens into violence. This is one of those things where parents need to use caution. As for the rest of us, to each his own, but unless it’s full of sex scenes, I might watch it just to see what all the hullabaloo is all about.
 
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