Regardless of how you feel about Joker: Folie à Deux, there’s no denying the raw talent of Joaquin Phoenix. From films like The Master to Her, and yes, Joker in 2019, Phoenix has a way of conveying various conflicting feelings at the same time, and utterly decimating audiences in the process. Whether or not he’s pulled that off with Joker: Folie à Deux is up for debate, but even when all of this purple smoke clears, we’ll all go see another Joaquin Phoenix film again. He’s just that good.
But beyond his famous movies, what was the first big movie that proved he could do anything? What was the Phoenix origin story, in terms of movie magic? Although his first feature film was a depressing 1985 TV movie called Kids Don’t Tell, his first true triumph was the sci-fi romp SpaceCamp in 1986. This overlooked film is no Joker: Folie à Deux, but, its bonkers premise did help launch the actor’s career and is worth a rewatch today — if you can find it.
