JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX (2024)
Updated: Oct 8
Folly for Two. Disappointments for All.
Grade: F
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
In 2019, director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix did the impossible with Joker. They took a character defined by everyone-including himself-by his relationship with Batman, removed Batman altogether, and made a compelling, disturbing and horrific origin story for one of the most iconic supervillains in comic book history. It became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever at the time and won two Oscars for Phoenix’s portrayal of mentally ill Arthur Fleck and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s haunting score. It did not need a sequel; a lot of the intrigue came from wondering how much was in Arthur’s mind, and how much was real. It was best as a standalone movie. Well, now we do have a sequel. And not only is it underwhelming. Not only does it fail to justify its existence. But it actively destroys itself by ending on a depressing and sour note which, to put it bluntly, precludes any chance of Arthur Fleck ever going up against the Batman, either on film or in our imaginations.
Set two years after the first movie, Joker: Folie a Deux centers on Arthur’s trial for the crimes he committed as Joker. Many of Gotham’s citizens look up to him after his murder of live talk-show host Murray Franklin incited a huge riot against the city’s upper class. At Arkham Asylum, he meets and falls in love with a self-committed patient named Harley “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is infatuated with his Joker persona. As the trial draws near, Arthur imagines a series of song-and-dance numbers in which the two of them light up stages as the Joker and Harley Quinn.
It is a common gripe for movie sequels to closely mirror the original, but this is one that would have benefitted immensely if it had. The thing that sets it apart, of course, is the fact that it is basically a musical. This is a sharp left turn, but in theory it could be good if it leaned heavily enough into it. Problem is the musical numbers don’t work. Phillips went for two styles in Folie a Deux-one like the first Joker, the other like a big-budget musical-and they do not complement each other. The story is basically a car, and the songs are stoplights. They don’t add much of anything, except to show more of Arthur in his Joker makeup. Most of them are visually beautiful, such as one where Joker and Harley are dancing next to a blue sign that says, “Arkham Hotel,” but they feel artificial. They don’t belong in this type of movie. On top of that, Phoenix and Gaga often don’t sound very good; this is surprising, since both are tremendously talented singers (Phoenix acted and sang as Johnny Cash in 2005’s Walk the Line). A reason could be that most of the songs they sing don’t have a lot of energy.
In addition to adding unneeded material, Folie a Deux takes away much of what made the first Joker work. In that movie, we were right there with Arthur the whole time, sharing his internal torment as he slowly transformed into the Joker. There was an actual story with momentum; in Folie a Deux, there is no real momentum. There are goals-Arthur wants to walk away from the trial and be with Lee forever-but it is not accompanied by the same sense of dread that permeated the first film. Why should we care a bit about what’s going on? Perhaps the only thing capable of moving us is the fact that after suddenly dropping the Joker act, Arthur is abandoned by the people who previously supported him. This is an admittedly compelling and sad development, but it all culminates in the aforementioned terrible finale.
As far as moviegoing experiences go, 2024 hasn’t been a phenomenal year for this reviewer. Only a few I’ve seen have been truly outstanding. But I never regretted watching any of the movies I’d seen until now. Whatever his intentions may have been, it feels as though Todd Phillips was actively trying to sabotage the character who made him an icon to comic book movie fans. Good performances and cinematography aside, there is almost nothing to be gained from watching Joker: Folie a Deux.
Director: Todd Phillips
Screenplay: Scott Silver, Todd Phillips (Based on the DC Comics; Joker created by Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Bob Kane)
Producers: Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Joseph Garner
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix (Arthur Fleck/Joker), Lady Gaga (Harley "Lee" Quinzel), Brendan Gleeson (Jackie Sullivan), Catherine Keener (Maryanne Stewart), Zazie Beetz (Sophie Dumond), Steve Coogan (Paddy Meyers), Harry Lawtey (Harvey Dent), Leigh Gill (Gary Puddles)
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