Joker: Folie à Deux Review
Some years after the events of Joker, Arthur Fleck languishes in prison even though his infamy spreads throughout Gotham. In a drug-induced haze, he wastes away in Arkham Asylum as he’s evaluated if he’s mentally competent to stand trial.
His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, pushes the narrative that Arthur has a split personality and that his darker half, the Joker, is responsible for the crimes he has committed. Completely spent of any emotion or care, Arthur does not protest. He is a shadow of his former self.
However, things change when Arthur meets fellow inmate Lee Quinzel. She is an obsessed fan of the Joker and risks punishment to get to know him. When the two meet, it is like fire and fuel combining – literally and metaphorically.
Lee snaps Arthur out of his daze, and he finds a new reason to live and fight for his freedom. But as Lee renews Joker’s passion and stokes the fires of his legend, everything teeters on the brink of collapse as Arthur realizes Lee has secrets that make him question her sincerity.
Yet again, Joaquin Phoenix delivers a memorable performance as the tortured Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker. It’s a unique take on the character that we haven’t seen before in his 84-year history. Normally, you see this level of mental anguish in indie films, not a big-budget comic book film. Yet Phoenix manages to create a character that you are simultaneously sympathetic towards and despise.
Phoenix is paired well with Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. She, too, brings a unique take on the character that stands apart from the performances of Margot Robbie in her live-action films or Arleen Sorkin in Batman: The Animated Series. And while Gaga makes the character her own, she still manages to bring the previous unique takes on the character of Harley into one performance.
We see her as the lovestruck fangirl, the over-enthusiastic sidekick, the homicidal maniac, and eventually the vengeful lover. Additionally, as you might expect, she sings. Not wanting to waste her talents, Todd Phillips seems to build Joker: Folie à Deux around her and the result is a musical that fans were likely not expecting.
The supporting cast is strong. Zazie Beetz returns briefly as Sophie Dumond. Leigh Gill also has a noteworthy cameo as Gary, Arthur’s lone friend in the world. Their confrontation is one of the more memorable parts of this sequel.
The returning cast is joined by newcomers Catherine Keener as lawyer Maryanne Stewart and Brendan Gleeson as the abusive prison guard Jackie Sullivan. Both bring strong performances where they are almost surrogate parent figures to Arthur. They have complex relationships with him that keep things interesting any time they are on the screen together.
The music of Joker: Folie à Deux is also noteworthy and is almost a character itself in the film. It reflects the state of Arthur’s mind, whether it be chaotic, depressed, or in love. Throw the musical numbers into the mix, and you see that composer Hildur Guðnadóttir has a lot to play with.
Joker: Folie à Deux unfortunately takes a lot of what made the first film interesting and moves away from it. Previously, Arthur was slowly wound up until he eventually snapped and was the catalyst that caused Gotham to explode. That build-up of tension is largely gone.
And when Joker finally exploded on the scene, there was an outburst of violence that shocked the audience and made you realize he was truly a dangerous animal in need of being put down by Batman. That feeling of menace and violence is also gone in favor of more wallowing in misery and musical numbers.
The film also has far fewer connections to the larger Batman universe other than the appearance of Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey, who brings little to the story.
While making Joker: Folie à Deux a musical is a bold choice I can get behind, the music selection was rather dull. All the songs, though having lyrics relevant to the plot, were unfamiliar and dull. I wonder if the film would have been better served with more familiar songs or even original songs. Every time Arthur or Lady Gaga start a musical number, you think, “OK, here they go for another 5 minutes.” I would not recommend you see this movie when you are tired. It will likely put you to sleep as the musical numbers are slow, dull, and generally uninteresting. And at 2 and a half hours long, it is about 45 minutes too long.
The film opens with a Looney Tunes-inspired Joker cartoon. It’s a unique way to go against audience expectations, but it comes across as a little pretentious in the end. (Yes, a pretentious Looney Tunes.)
The story is also ultimately disappointing when it comes to the relationship between Joker and Harley. Rather than being an explosive take on Bonnie and Clyde, their relationship lacks the drama and insanity of previous Jokers and Harleys we’ve seen elsewhere. It lacks the comedy of the animated series or the danger of the Suicide Squad version.
Finally, the film ends on an unsatisfying and uncertain note. I won’t spoil things here, but fans may be leaving the theater with far more questions than answers when it is over.
If you liked Joker, then I would say Joker: Folie à Deux is worth checking out at some point. Maybe not in the theater, but at some point. However, I would also say it is not necessary viewing for Batman fans, and Joker is perfectly good as a standalone film if you want it to be. This sequel brings little to the table other than a new take on Harley Quinn.
JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX REVIEW RATING: 6 OUT OF 10
Joker: Folie à Deux is rated R for some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity. The film opens in theaters on Friday, October 4, 2024.
