Joker: Folie à Deux
Institutionalized at Arkham State Psychiatric Hospital, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) will break out in song when he
finds love with Lee (Lady Gaga) in “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Laura's Review: C+
Cowriter (with his "Joker" collaborator Scott Silver)/director Todd Phillips attempts to do something radically different with his sequel to the film which won Phoenix an Oscar, but while his core idea of turning his anti-hero into a martyr for the masses is intriguing, turning it into a musical, presumably the better to utilize Lady Gaga, bogs everything down. Phoenix's performance cannot be faulted and he even makes a serviceable song and dance man, but the film is overblown, and some might even say pointless.
The film opens with the classic Warner Brothers logo shown before its Looney Tunes cartoons, and indeed, we are treated to a parody of one called 'Me and My Shadow,' in which Joker wrestles with the two sides of himself, something which will be utilized by his compassionate defense attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), who believes all the abuse Arthur has suffered has caused his personality to split. He is treated as something of a celebrity by his prison guards, all of whom ask 'Got a joke today for us Arthur?,' rewarding him with cigarettes.
Guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) takes more of an interest than others, often defending the man, so when he notices Arthur noticing Lee in a music group (she steps into the hall to mime shooting herself in the head), he arranges for Arthur to join and a romance blooms, Lee convinced they can escape and take up where Joker left off. She'll attend his trial and when Stewart warns Arthur that Lee is no good for him, he fires her mid-trial, announcing he will represent himself, perhaps not the best idea as he's already publicly admitted to a sixth murder, the suffocation of his mother, during an interview with Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan).
Phillips interrupts Fleck's prison life and trial with the man's murderous fantasies and copious musical numbers, the latter
of which may have worked in lesser number. What starts as Fleck singing in prison expands into production numbers imagining his and Lee's wedding, an Arkham Hotel rooftop 'Fred and Ginger-like' duet and Joker and Lee's own version of 'The Sonny and Cher Show.' But by the time Lee has transformed herself into Harley, she and Arthur discover neither is who the other thought they were, leading to Arthur's ultimate betrayal back on those infamous Bronx steps.
One wishes Phoenix had shown this commitment to the Christine Vachon/Todd Haynes project he recently abandoned, because the actor himself, all jutting shoulder blades and resigned eyes, is still fascinating to watch. Phoenix, more than anything else in the film, makes Joker's fate poignant. Lady Gaga brings less here, her Lee a representation, albeit a false one, of all the disaffected who embrace Joker. Returning characters include Zazie Beetz and Leigh Gill, whose Sophie Dumond and Gary Puddles testify during Fleck's trial, presided over by Bill Smitrovich as Judge Herman Rothwax. Anyone who watches HBO's Industry, might be surprised to find Harry Lawtey's Harvey Dent questioning Ken Leung as Dr. Liu, a distracting casting decision. "Mud's" Jacob Leland has a pivotal role as Arthur's fellow inmate Ricky Meline.
Hildur Guðnadóttir's ("Joker") funereal score conveys the film's darkness while old standards like 'What the World Needs Now,' 'For Once in My Life, 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' and 'Gonna Build a Mountain' reflect Arhur and Lee's love story, perhaps believable in Fleck's head, but not certainly not the Folie à Deux promised by the film's title.
Robin's Review: C+
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is in prison for the brutal murders of five people. He is to stand trial and, if convicted, could be put to death. Very bad stuff for the killer. Then, he meets Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) and he is a changed man in “Joker: Folie a Deux.”
Logically, one would think that the sequel to “Joker (2019)” would actually follow up on Arthur’s story. But, that is not what happens here. Instead, we get a treatise on the faults of the prison system and, with the entry of Lady Gaga as Harley, a bevy of musical dance numbers. That is not what I, or many others, expected.
Now, JoaquinPhoenix is a fine actor and, once again, proves it here in his performance of dual identity – Arthur and his alter ego, Joker. Unfortunately, instead of digging into Arthur’s psyche, we get a view of flawed prison system, an out of control judiciary and a prison choir where Arthur first meets Harley. This is where the many musical numbers come in, using old classic tunes, and he and she perform elaborately made up and costumed songs and dances.
Now, the money was spent on the prison and courtroom sets and things look suitably fine but the story, directed by Todd Phillips, lacks an actual point. This, I think, is because of the inclusion of Lady Gaga seem to have made the filmmakers to change gears and direction and make a musical and not a drama.
Basically, my thoughts go two ways – what is the point of “Joker: Folie a Deux? And, whose bright idea was it to bring in a pop star, a singer no less, in on what should have been drama, not breaking out in song and dance at regular intervals. Let us just say I was disappointed on a major level, especially since the 2019 film was so good.
Warner Brothers releases "Joker: Folie à Deux" in theaters on 10/4/24.