Originally Posted by james2025a

I am surprised mate, I think this was telegraphed right to the viewer practically from her first scene. The fact she finds it amusing that he did the fingers to the head after walking out of the elevator seemed off. Every scene from then on seemed obvious she was not really there, I even said it to myself when I saw her in the hospital with him. Her going to the comedy routine and laughing, and especially him walking into her apartment and kissing her were very obviously delusions. The fact it showed the scene demonstrating the fact he had simply been imagining her in these scenarios I felt was uneeded. We got all the explanation we needed by him being in her apartment and she barely knew him and asked him to leave. I recall when I saw Fight Club for the first time I quickly caught on to the fact that Tyler Durden isn't real and was probably a figment of his imagination simply because I noticed most of the actors were not looking at him directly or acknowledging him in their scenes. Plus the splices basically spell it out as well. That's almost like the character being created by Ed Nortons mind. Like a car engine spluttering and starting with the roar of the gas being Tyler Durden.

The one thing I have thought about since seeing the movie is how much of the whole movie could be considered a delusion. The whole thing could be in his mind except the two scenes showing him in the asylum, and even that final scene comes off as a delusion with the comedic back and forth running from security. His mother, Thomas Wayne, Gotham itself could all simply be figments of his imagination. And that's where this movies strength really lies I think, it's open to so much interpretation and will keep people talking for some time to come. Personally I consider the shit parts of his life to be real, he did get invited onto the show, he did kill the people he killed, but he had no triumphs. Any success or positivity he attains in this movie is only in his imagination.

Originally Posted by Dr. DVD

While I predict a large drop next week , I wonder if this weekend's large $$ take may help persuade WB to make another movie in this setting and give us a full on Batman/Joker story?

Originally Posted by Why So Blu?

Sure, they could do that, but it won't be with Phillips/Phoenix. I mean, they could offer them a shitload of money, but Phoenix doesn't seem like the guy to take 20 million payday.

I think that's why this film, ironic as it may seem considering the subject matter, is a one and done.

Originally Posted by OldBoy

Is there any after credit sequence? If someone could pm me I would appreciate...

Originally Posted by Hazel Motes

Did anyone else feel like the film alluded to the possibility that Penny WASN'T crazy and that Thomas Wayne had her institutionalized to cover up the fact that she had his child. I need to watch it again, but it would fall in line with the depiction of Thomas Wayne in this film and also Penny never once changing her story throughout the years. I feel like maybe Thomas Wayne with his wealth and power destroyed her life on so many levels that she went legitimately crazy. Thus making it easy to dismiss Penny's paternity claims.

I thought the film was pretty good. But much like Baby Driver, I thought it hit the audience over the head with its influences to the point that it sucked a lot of the enjoyment out of the film for me. It was just SO derivative of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. I still managed to enjoy it, but I was expecting more. Phoenix was sublime. I'd like to see a film where his Joker character squares off against his "You Were Never Really Here" character. It would be interesting if the Robert Pattinson Batman movie was a sequel to this. Even with the problems I have with the film, I'd love to see JP play the character again.

7/10