In 2019, director Todd Phillips delivered the psychological comic book movie, Joker. The film starred Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, the eponymous Joker, and was a surprisingly effective picture which won two Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Phoenix.
Due to the success of the film, Warner Bros. Pictures and Todd Phillips started to develop a sequel. This seemed a little odd, as Joker had ‘one-and-done’ written all over it, but hey, we live in a world where everything is sequel-ised, so it wasn’t all that surprising we’d be getting a Part II.
Either way, the most important thing about the announcement of a Joker sequel was the news that Lady Gaga would be cast as a reimagined Harley Quinn. This seemed like a genius piece of casting and suddenly this Joker sequel had a hook to draw audiences back in.
Fast forward to October 4th 2024 and the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux makes its debut in UK and US cinemas. The movie – which teams Phoenix with the aforementioned Gaga, alongside a supporting cast which includes Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, and Zazie Beetz – is another psychological thriller, only this time it is part musical too!
In the movie, a short time has passed since Arthur Fleck killed five people, including chat show host Murray Franklin live on television. Within this time, Arthur has been kept locked up in Arkham – a psychiatric hospital where various professionals have attempted to figure out what triggered his killing spree.
Yet despite their best efforts, no one is able to truly reach Arthur. No one except the musically talented Harley ‘Lee’ Quinzel.
Lee is a fellow inmate, who is locked up in Arkham for setting fire to her parents’ apartment building. Lee sees Arthur as something of a star, and makes no bones about telling him this – stroking his ego in the process.
Thing is, others feel the same way about Arthur. Despite the efforts of Assistant D.A. Harvey Dent to see Arthur awarded the death penalty for his crimes, there are various members of the public who champion his Joker persona.
Keen to see Arthur regain his past glories, Lee continues to support him after she gets released from Arkham. However, not everything about Lee is entirely accurate and she may be just as warped as he is.
OK, I think it’s important to address a couple of elephants in the room before going any further. First and foremost, while I adored Joker, and it was a critical and commercial success, I’m aware not everyone was a fan of the film and felt it simply didn’t cut the mustard.
The second thing to address is the simple fact a Joker sequel was always going to be a tricky sell. As noted above, the original film was a hit, plus Phoenix won an Oscar for his turn as Arthur Fleck, so topping this achievement was always going to be impossible.
Put simply: Many would argue that not only was a sequel not needed, but Phoenix is essentially shooting himself in the foot by reprising a role he has already nailed. At best he can win another Oscar (unlikely), while at worst he is stuck spearheading a complete misfire (more likely).
All of the above is of course perfectly valid and it’s fair to say if you didn’t care for 2019’s Joker, you probably won’t care for Joker: Folie à Deux. In terms of its tone, its content, and its overall approach, Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux are on similar footing, and if you had little interest during the first outing there’s not much to sell you on second time around.
It’s also fair to say this sequel isn’t as mentally stimulating as its predecessor, nor is it as fresh or creative. There are a couple of new elements which work very well, but in general, this sequel does lack the edge of the first film and it’s missing energy and spark.
However, Phoenix isn’t stuck with a complete misfire, so don’t think that he is – he’s simply piloting something which isn’t necessary. This film isn’t needed, pure and simple.
Phoenix is also now a co-star in his own sequel. Oh, and he is a co-star who is arguably outshined by his on-screen partner.
Now, I said this film has a couple of new elements which work well, and the first of these is Lady Gaga’s take on Harley Quinn. Although she has limited screen time, Gaga is fantastic in this movie, and plays Lee/Harley brilliantly.
This is a different version of Harley Quinn, but one which immediately strikes a chord (no pun intended). Her obsession with Arthur/Joker is perfectly executed, with Lee being something of a master manipulator, and her singing skills are of course on point.
Gaga is a superb actress and truly sails through this picture. Yes, Phoenix is once again great as Arthur, but Gaga is the real highlight this time around.
And all this Gaga love moves me effortlessly onto the other new element which is a selling point of the movie: The tunes! Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t a full-blown musical, it is only a partial musical, but the use of show-stopping numbers to enhance the story is welcome and a lot of fun.
The songs add a certain charm to the film, as well as some old school Hollywood theatricality. Plus, who doesn’t want to hear Gaga belt out a few numbers?
So, both of these elements hit just right and are plus points for the movie. Unfortunately, these are largely the only plus points.
As for the rest of the film, it is OK, but Joker: Folie à Deux struggles to convince anyone it is necessary. It also has one significant stumbling block – it’s all a bit dull!
Once the first act is over (i.e the stuff set at Arkham), the picture moves to the courtroom, where it unfortunately remains for the vast majority of the running time. A little bit of courtroom drama would be fine, but investing so much time here is a mistake, it robs the film of any momentum, and ultimately it slows things down to a crawl.
It is a crawl which Joker: Folie à Deux never really recovers from. And the longer the courtroom scenes go on, the more it becomes evident this isn’t going to be a picture about Arthur and Lee (or Joker and Harley) having a whale of a time in Gotham, it is going to be a movie about criminal defence and cross examinations.
As such, if you head to the cinema hoping to get some electric Joker/Harley action, you will be disappointed. The chemistry between the two actors is there, but the opportunity for them to truly shine together is somewhat lacking, because they are penned in by their surroundings.
All-in-all, this is a missed opportunity. If you have Phoenix and Gaga in your movie, then for the love of all that is holy, let them go wild!
There is a scene early on in the film where it appears as if Arthur and Lee will break out of Arkham and run amok. This is the film I wanted to see, not the one we ultimately got.
As sequels go, Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t required viewing, but if you are interested in seeing the picture then the film is not without merit. Gaga’s casting is solid stuff, and there are some decent moments throughout the picture.
However, director Todd Phillips doesn’t make the best use of his actors, nor does he find a way to truly sell a significant chunk of the story. This leaves the film saggy in places and all a bit pointless.
Phillips and his co-writer, Scott Silver, would have been best switching the focus from Joker to Harley and creating a piece centred entirely around Lee. This could have made the sequel a more dynamic picture, and would have relied less on Phoenix having to re-tread old ground.
However, as it stands, Joker: Folie à Deux is fine. It is underwhelming, but it is fine.
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One Response to Review: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
An excellent review. Joker Folie a Deux is a movie that I am definitely excited to see soon. I was a huge fan of the first Joker which raised the bar for the comic book genre. Joaquin Phoenix was truly extraordinary in it. I’m curious to see how a sequel would turn out to be. The negative reviews are not going to stop me from seeing it.
Here’s why:
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