Joker
Arthur Fleck works as a clown and is an aspiring stand-up comic. He has mental health issues, part of which involves uncontrollable laughter. Times are tough and, due to his issues and occupation, Arthur has an even worse time than most. Over time these issues bear down on him, shaping his actions, making him ultimately take on the persona he is more known as...Joker.
Despite a mid-range budget of $55.0M, Joker became a commercial juggernaut, earning $1079.0M worldwide—a remarkable 1862% return.
2 Oscars. 120 wins & 246 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Joker (2019) exhibits carefully calibrated plot construction, characteristic of Todd Phillips's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 2 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 4.2, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Arthur Fleck / Joker
Murray Franklin
Penny Fleck
Sophie Dumond
Thomas Wayne
Randall
Gary
Main Cast & Characters
Arthur Fleck / Joker
Played by Joaquin Phoenix
A mentally ill aspiring comedian who descends into madness and violence after being rejected by society.
Murray Franklin
Played by Robert De Niro
A popular late-night talk show host who becomes a symbol of everything Arthur despises about society.
Penny Fleck
Played by Frances Conroy
Arthur's mentally ill mother who lives with him and harbors delusions about her past relationship with Thomas Wayne.
Sophie Dumond
Played by Zazie Beetz
Arthur's neighbor and single mother who becomes the object of his romantic fantasies.
Thomas Wayne
Played by Brett Cullen
Wealthy businessman and mayoral candidate who represents Gotham's elite establishment.
Randall
Played by Glenn Fleshler
Arthur's co-worker at the clown agency who gives him a gun and later betrays him.
Gary
Played by Leigh Gill
Arthur's kind co-worker and the only person who treats him with genuine compassion.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Arthur Fleck sits in front of a mirror applying clown makeup, forcing a smile while tears stream down his face. This establishes his fractured mental state and the disconnect between his exterior performance and interior pain.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Arthur is beaten by a gang of teenagers who steal his sign and leave him bloodied in an alley. His coworker Randall later gives him a gun for protection, setting Arthur on a darker path.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Arthur kills three Wayne Enterprises businessmen on the subway after they assault him. This is his irreversible choice - he has crossed from victim to perpetrator, and there is no going back to his old life., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Notably, this crucial beat Murray Franklin plays Arthur's disastrous comedy set on his show, mocking him publicly. Arthur's dream of being seen and validated by his hero turns into humiliation, transforming his admiration into rage., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 82 minutes (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Arthur smothers his mother Penny with a pillow in her hospital bed. This is the death of his last familial connection and his final tie to any hope of being loved. The "whiff of death" is literal matricide., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 87 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 71% of the runtime. Arthur completes his transformation into Joker, dancing down the long staircase in full makeup and colored suit. He has synthesized his pain into a new identity and made the choice to reveal himself to the world on live television., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Joker's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Joker against these established plot points, we can identify how Todd Phillips utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Joker within the crime genre.
Todd Phillips's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Todd Phillips films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Joker takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Todd Phillips filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Rustom and The Whole Ten Yards. For more Todd Phillips analyses, see School for Scoundrels, The Hangover Part III and Old School.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Arthur Fleck sits in front of a mirror applying clown makeup, forcing a smile while tears stream down his face. This establishes his fractured mental state and the disconnect between his exterior performance and interior pain.
Theme
Arthur's social worker tells him, "They don't give a shit about people like you, Arthur. And they really don't give a shit about people like me either." This states the theme of society's abandonment of the mentally ill and marginalized.
Worldbuilding
We see Arthur's world: his job as a party clown, his relationship with his mother Penny, his sessions with a social worker, his medication regimen, his obsession with Murray Franklin's talk show, and the grim decay of 1981 Gotham City.
Disruption
Arthur is beaten by a gang of teenagers who steal his sign and leave him bloodied in an alley. His coworker Randall later gives him a gun for protection, setting Arthur on a darker path.
Resistance
Arthur debates his path forward: he takes the gun, practices comedy routines, visits his mother's former employer Thomas Wayne seeking answers about his parentage, and loses his job when the gun falls out during a children's hospital performance.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Arthur kills three Wayne Enterprises businessmen on the subway after they assault him. This is his irreversible choice - he has crossed from victim to perpetrator, and there is no going back to his old life.
Mirror World
Arthur's relationship with his neighbor Sophie deepens (in what he believes is reality). She represents the possibility of connection, love, and normalcy - everything Arthur needs but cannot truly have.
Premise
Arthur experiences a strange liberation: the subway killings spark a clown mask protest movement, he pursues answers about his father from Thomas Wayne, attempts stand-up comedy, and begins to feel seen for the first time as Gotham descends into class warfare.
Midpoint
Murray Franklin plays Arthur's disastrous comedy set on his show, mocking him publicly. Arthur's dream of being seen and validated by his hero turns into humiliation, transforming his admiration into rage.
Opposition
Arthur's world collapses: he discovers his mother's lies about Thomas Wayne being his father, learns he was adopted and abused as a child, realizes Sophie never had a relationship with him, and his social services are cut off eliminating his medication access.
Collapse
Arthur smothers his mother Penny with a pillow in her hospital bed. This is the death of his last familial connection and his final tie to any hope of being loved. The "whiff of death" is literal matricide.
Crisis
Arthur sits alone in his apartment processing what he's done. He receives the invitation to appear on Murray Franklin's show, dyeing his hair green and preparing his Joker persona. He kills Randall who betrayed him earlier.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Arthur completes his transformation into Joker, dancing down the long staircase in full makeup and colored suit. He has synthesized his pain into a new identity and made the choice to reveal himself to the world on live television.
Synthesis
Arthur appears on Murray Franklin's show, confesses to the subway murders, delivers a manifesto about society's treatment of the mentally ill, and shoots Murray on live television. Gotham erupts into riots. Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed in the chaos, orphaning young Bruce.
Transformation
Arthur stands atop a police car amid the riots, painting a bloody smile on his face with his own blood while worshippers in clown masks surround him. The isolated, beaten victim from the opening has transformed into a symbol of violent chaos - a complete negative arc.