Cars you didn’t know were in “Joker”
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There’s a lot to be said about the role that cars play in film. Sometimes they share the main character distinction with a human lead, a la Max Rockatansky’s Interceptor or the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Sometimes, though, vehicles play a more subtle, world-building role in movies. So, let’s take a look at some of the cars that made an appearance in the record-setting, and surprising Academy Award darling Joker.
Chevrolet Caprice
Photo: Mr.choppers
Even though the Caprice’s global production ended in the 2017 model year, it is fondly remembered as one of the most popular American cars of the 1950s and 1960s. It was awarded the Motor Trend Car of the Year in both 1977 and 1991.
In the film, the Caprice is represented as a taxi in the fictional Gotham City. One scene features a protester on their way to a march. Another hits Joaquin Phoenix in the middle of the road, and yet another suffers an accident during the film’s climax
Chevrolet Impala
Photo: Chevrolet
According to IMCDB, the Impala features as a background vehicle outside of a donut shop during Joker’s first half. In the real world, the Impala was first introduced as a top-line trim of the Caprice before being introduced as its own model. It’s still available today.
It survived Joker, and it outlived many Chevy vehicles: The 2020 Impala
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen
The consensus on IMCDB was originally split between the Caprice and the Monte Carlo. Eventually, posters seemed to agree that the vehicle behind the Caprice taxi that struck Phoenix’s Joker and the one that ends up wrapped around a light pole is, in fact, a Monte Carlo.
The Monte Carlo debuted in 1970 and went through six generations before it was discontinued after the 2007 model year.
Chevrolet Nova
A small car, the Nova first hit roads as a 1961 model and stayed on new lots until 1988. Over its five generations, it spent six years as the leading model in the Chevy II lineup.
Within the context of Joker, it only makes a brief appearance as a background vehicle while Joker — originally named Arthur Fleck — stands in a phone booth while dressed as his creepy, eventually megalomaniacal alter-ego.
Even if you aren’t a fan of comic book films or their R-rated reimaginings, it’s worth appreciating the work that went into finding cars that evoke a specific time period — even if the story does take place in a fictional city.
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