Joker: Folie à Deux review

JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX: 

HOW ABOUT ANOTHER JOKE, MURRAY; THIS JOKER SEQUEL IS LOUSY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux

 

            Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Signs, Her) is back as failed comedian turned criminal mastermind, Arthur Fleck/The Joker in Joker: Folie à Deux, the (I guess) highly anticipated sequel to the 2019 hit, Joker based on the titular DC Comics Batman villain of the same name. Now I loved the first Joker from 2019 directed by Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover trilogy, Due Date) and thought it was a fascinating and terrifying character study of how someone who just wants to make a living in an intense and violent society can be pushed to his limits and become a psychopath with a legendary performance by Phoenix that almost rivals Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight. 

            Despite its divisive reactions and even controversy surrounding its violent themes and depictions of mental illness, Joker was a huge success becoming the first R-rated film to gross over a billion dollars and held the place for highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time until being dethroned by Deadpool & Wolverine a few months ago. What was originally intended as a standalone movie has now become a franchise due to its success so, here’s the sequel. 

            When Joker: Folie à Deux was first announced, I was not a fan of the idea of continuing the storyline because Joker was a perfectly self-contained film that didn’t need to be followed up on because we already know what’s going to happen next after one of the rioters in the last movie killed Bruce Wayne’s parents at the end. The fact it was also going to be a musical definitely raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless I was still optimistic and curious to see Phoenix and Phillips will continue Arthur Fleck’s legacy…and after witnessing it I wish they kept him locked up. 

            While I wouldn’t call this movie awful, this is such a disappointing follow-up especially coming off of one of the most impactful and shocking comic book movies in recent years. Where Joker had me completely speechless once it was over, Joker: Folie à Deux left me feeling empty. 

            The film is set two years after the events of the first movie and follows Arthur Fleck/The Joker institutionalized in Arkham State Hospital as he awaits trial for the murders he committed including that of Murray Franklin. While struggling with his dual identity, he meets and falls in love with another Arkham patient known as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Essentially this movie’s version of Harley Quinn) (Lady Gaga-Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, A Star is Born(2018), House of Gucci) while also finding the music that’s always been inside him. 

            The film also stars Brendan Gleeson (Cold Mountain, Harry Potter franchise, The Banshees of Inisherin) as Jackie Sullivan, Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich, Capote, Get Out) as Arthur’s lawyer Maryanne Stewart, Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) reprising her role as Sophie Dumond, Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, The Other Guys, Ruby Sparks) as Paddy Meyers, Harry Lawtey (City of Tiny Lights, Industry, The Pale Blue Eye) as Harvey Dent, Leigh Gill (Get Santa, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Blitz) reprising his role as Gary Puddles, Ken Leung (X-Men 3: The Last Stand, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Missing) as Dr. Victor Liu, Jacob Lofland (Mud, Maze Runner 2 and 3, The Son) as Ricky Meline, and Bill Smitrovich (Independence Day, Air Force One, Iron Man) as Judge Herman Rothwax. 

            Overall, Joker: Folie à Deux has things to admire about it and Phoenix and Gaga are great as Joker and Harley, but the film’s unfocused narrative and clumsy execution make this one of the Clown Prince of Crime’s weakest hours. It’s a movie that leaves almost no impression once it ends which should not be the case with a sequel to Joker.

            This movie feels like 3 completely different films jumbled together, first it’s a legit Joker sequel and then all of a sudden it becomes a courtroom drama with jukebox musical numbers somehow worked into the plot and none of it flows well. The problem is all of these would have been fine on their own, I’d go see a Technicolor-inspired Joker musical that has bright and colorful production design but is sick and disturbing, a courtroom drama revolving around the Joker and his crimes, or another psychological thriller follow-up that’s closer in tone to the first. 

            But when you put them all together into one movie, it’s a huge mess and is nowhere near as interesting or captivating as the filmmakers probably intended. Not helping matters is when the film constantly reminds you of the first movie just with added musical numbers thrown in to the point where you’d rather be watching that again instead. 

            I feel the movie is trying to be like Sweeney Todd where it’s telling a dark, twisted story as a musical, but the songs and musical numbers in Sweeney Todd helped further the story along, these do not. Joker: Folie à Deux’s musical numbers while well-choreographed ironically distract from the story rather than enhance it and make the film grind to a halt whenever Joker and/or Harley break into song though they almost had me with the first song sequence…and then I sank. 

            I will give this film credit that it looks great in terms of the production design and cinematography, it is essentially more of that grungy, dirty look from the first movie but for the most part the scenes are very well-staged and lit and do look neat on a large screen like IMAX. While the musical numbers were flat-out unnecessary, I saw the hard work that went into putting them together and there is some kinetic energy to them even if they barely impact the plot. 

            Joaquin Phoenix once again is excellent as Arthur and continues to bring what made his character in the first movie so fascinating to watch. Lady Gaga is also great as Harley and much like Phoenix’s Joker, she isn’t trying to impersonate Margot Robbie from the DCEU or Tara Strong from the animated universe, she makes this iconic character 100% her own and adds a new layer of intrigue to the Joker’s second mate. 

            Sadly, none of this matters when the film ends with one of the most baffling, audience insulting, and anticlimactic final scenes of any movie. I was flip-flopping between 2 and 2 ½ stars, but as soon as that ending happened and the more I thought about it, afterwards it soured my opinion on the movie. 

            Joker: Folie à Deux is not Madame Web or this year’s Crow reboot, but this is easily the comic book movie this year that has disappointed me the most. It’s an unfocused, inconsistent, and surprisingly forgettable follow-up to such an iconic movie and I hope the people involved with making the final product what it turned out to be get what they fucking deserve! BANG!