Birds of Prey Director Says Political Jokes Don’t Mean Commentary

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) might have political leanings of her own in Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), but that shouldn't be taken as the movie's political commentary.

Speaking in an interview with The Wrap,Birds of Prey director Cathy Yan talks about the dialogue in the film where Harley talks about how she actually voted for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and that no one should tell Joker about her choice.

According to Yan, she and Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson had developed the dialogue as more of a joke, not as political commentary for the film.

"With the grievances, we were just kinda coming up with different grievances, and I would throw some ideas in, and Christina Hodson would throw some ideas in," Yan explained in her discussion with the entertainment news outlet, "I think the Bernie thing, I'll give full credit to Christina on that one... I think tonally and stylistically this is a movie that can afford that kind of stuff." The director then added, "And not a lot of movies get to make a Bernie joke, so sure, let's do it."

Jokes don't necessarily make political commentary.

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is doing pretty well for itself. Critics seem to love the film for its style and for its humor. Right now the film is enjoying a certified fresh 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes with the critic consensus saying that the film "captures the anarchic spirit of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn" with its "fresh perspective."

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) premieres today, February 7, 2020.

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