In The People’s Joker, Vera Drew’s legally troubled trans superhero satire, the comedian wears her Adult Swim editing experience on her sleeve, delivering a DIY semi-autobiographical parody film that takes full advantage of the fair use doctrine.
Portraying a fictional, Gotham-ified version of herself, The People’s Joker — which screened at festivals last year amid concerns over copyright issues with Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the Batman film rights — features Drew narrating her personal trans origin story in Harley Quinn-style makeup. She starts the film recalling a formative experience with Joel Schumacher’s colorful Batman Forever, remembering that she wanted to be Nicole Kidman rather than the rubber-nippled hero kissing her, but from there things take a turn for the silly: “Joker the Harlequin,” as Drew’s self-insert character is known, is prescribed the laughing gas Smylex to repress all the trans-wishful thoughts that come to mind.
Ultimately, Joker the Harlequin escapes the trappings of reality, finding solace in Gotham’s UCB, or United Clown Bureau — a clever riff on the real-life Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe that serves as a sort of farm team for Saturday Night Live. She finds herself immersed in the Gotham alt-comedy scene, meeting a rogue’s gallery of villains, presented in a hybrid of live-action and various animation techniques, all of whom are aspiring to become UCB cast members. Among others, her anti-comedy friend group includes the Penguin (a very charming Nathan Faustyn) and the egomaniac trans male comic Mister J (Kane Distler, wearing a Jared Leto-styled Joker outfit). As Joker the Harlequin and Mr. J grow close and eventually fall into a familiar toxic relationship dynamic, Drew illustrates that even if a relationship is T4T, the rules remain the same: never date a fellow comedian.
But in addition to being a clever personal allegory, The People’s Joker is an incredible artistic achievement as well. Drew — who directed, co-wrote, and edited the film — marries a wide array of styles, collaborating with over 200 artists to make a distinctive, colorful take on Gotham that recalls the days before grimdark comic book movies, when muted colors washed away the joyous frivolity of the Schumacher era. The film’s pairing of sharp, dry, absurdist humor with animation in all its forms would place it comfortably amid on the Adult Swim nightly lineup, alongside similarly bizarre Tim and Eric-esque fare.
Indeed, it’s no surprise that Drew comes from that background, having started her career working for Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s production company and editing alt-comedy classics like Comedy Bang! Bang! Drew manages to catch the viewer off guard with gags she sneaks into the background, dialogue, and styling. But even while throwing every experiment imaginable at the wall, Drew never sacrifices the raw and relatable emotion in her passionate tale.
