One Of The Best Superhero Parody Movies Ever Made Is Streaming For Free

Movie studios takes the integrity of their intellectual property very seriously. Every now and then you'll get a brave filmmaker like Rian Johnson ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi") or Lana Wachowski ("The Matrix Resurrections") willing to break beyond the status quo from the inside with a film that breaks free from the mold in really interesting ways, but for the most part there's an insistence on maintaining the ship for broad audience appeal, especially in the world of comic book movies. This only makes outside art like "The People's Joker" even more of a breath of fresh air. Vera Drew's transgressive mixed media modification of the DC Universe is a sledgehammer to the conglomerate packaging of comic book movies which you have to see to believe. The best part is that the 2022 independent film sensation is now available to stream for free on Tubi.

"The People's Joker" streaming on a public platform is a tremendous victory, considering the superhero parody film went through the wringer. Drew's portrayal of Batman's arch nemesis caught the notice of Warner Bros. which ultimately led to the film being pulled from the festival circuit following its 2022 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Drew even reached out to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn on social media in 2023 in an effort to get "The People's Joker" released from legal captivity. With the help of the LGBTQ+-driven distribution company Altered Innocence, the fair use parody was able to break free. What Drew and co-writer Bri LeRose were able to accomplish with "The People's Joker" amounts to way more than an easy riff on the clown prince of crime.

For all of the ways in which "The People's Joker" takes swipes at 2016's "Suicide Squad" and 2019's "Joker," it's also a hilarious coming out story that transforms those iconographies into something meaningful. Drew brilliantly co-opts the DC supervillain to tell an exaggerated autobiography of her transition. The story is presented through the perspective of Joker the Harlequin (Drew), an aspiring comedian who makes the big move to Gotham City to join the comedy scene. The strict binary parameters of the United Clown Bureau (a riff on the Upright Citizens Brigade) encourages her to renounce the cis-tem and form an anti-comedy club with Oswald Cobblepot (Nathan Faustyn). Joker's rebellion also leads to a relationship with a trans man modeled after Jared Leto's Joker named Mr. J (Kane Distler). He's an integral component of her transition, but also an emotionally abusive partner.

"The People's Joker" can't be placed into a neatly defined box. The anarchic satire uses Drew's punk rock spirit to make fun of the Batman villain in a way that shows a genuine affection for DC Comics. Nicole Kidman's Chase Meridian in "Batman Forever" is even shown as one of Joker's critical turning points into realizing she's a transgender woman. There's a treasure trove of references for comic book movie fans, whether it be Selina Kyle's apartment transformation in "Batman Returns" or Dr. Harleen Quinzel's acid (estrogen) bath in "Suicide Squad." It's an inspired decision on Drew's part to present it through a DIY multimedia collage of 2D animation, half-rendered 3D models, and puppetry collapsing onto one another.

You can feel every ounce of Drew's creativity bursting out in every scene, and it's heartening to see her enthusiasm pay off. There are so many gags on screen at any given time that "The People's Joker" rewards repeat viewings. It would be wonderful if the film's identity odyssey spoke to cisgender audiences as much as it does to transgender viewers. As it stands, the film is all but guaranteed to repel certain sects of toxic comic book fans as a result — that's part of what makes it so special.

"The People's Joker" is a silly, yet emotionally resonant vehicle for transgender folks to see themselves validated through stylized depictions of shared life experiences. You have no idea how much it means for someone like me to see Joker's mother (Lynn Downey) call themselves a bad mom because young Joker (Griffin Kramer) dared to assert their individuality about feeling wrong in their body.

If transgender folks are going to be denigrated for simply existing, then we're going to do things our way. It means a lot to have such a loud and proud vehicle that encourages every queer person to tell their own stories because no one else will. There's no world in which a major studio like Warner Bros. would ever release something as purposefully unwieldy as "The People's Joker," but through festival screenings, midnight shows, physical media sales, and streaming, the film can find its audience. In some respects, "The People's Joker" being available on Tubi for anyone to discover is a fitting touch to its saga.