Quentin Tarantino responds to those who criticized him for praising Joker: Folie à Deux

Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to defending his views as he’s had to push back on controversy surrounding violence in his movies or racial content or character portrayal, such as Bruce Lee fans criticizing him for his scene in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Tarantino seems to now be a target for his praise of the movie Joker: Folie à Deux, which was panned by critics and fans alike and flopped at the box office. The director had gone on to say that Joaquin Phoenix had given “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life.” And explained, “I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is.” 

According to Variety, Tarantino would appear on a recent Joe Rogan Experience episode where he addressed how his words caught fire and he’d see comments from various people who reacted very negatively to his impressions. He expounded,

I go on a show and I say that I like Joker 2. Now there’s 150 articles on it. One person listens to the thing and writes an article about it and there’s 150 ripoff articles on that. And then you read the comments: ‘Quentin is a fucking asshole. That movie fucking sucks. He’s a fucking asshole for saying that.’ Why am I a fucking asshole? I liked the fucking movie! That makes me a fucking asshole? You either like the movie or you don’t. I’m not plugging the movie. I’m not doing anything. I’m just saying I like it. Who gives a fuck what I like? What do you care what the fuck I like?”

He continues, “Then they say I’m a fucking asshole for not seeing something. What the fuck do you care what I see or don’t see? Someone will say, ‘Well I think he’s missing out.’ Well I am sure there is a lot of shit I could say you’re missing out on and I don’t care if you miss out on.” Here, it sounds as if he’s addressing his stance on not seeing Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies since he has watched David Lynch’s version, as well as his similar comments on the TV shows Ripley and Shōgun.

Other directors had also come to Joker: Folie à Deux‘s defense upon all the negative reception, including Francis Ford Coppola and John Waters. Waters would comment, “Finally, a love story I can relate to. So insane, so well thought out, so well directed, so much smoking! It’s Jailhouse Rock meets Busby Berkeley with a 9/11 That’s Entertainment! ending that will make you shake your head in cinematic astonishment. Stupid critics. Gaga so good. Joker so right. Die, dumbbells, die!”