Review of Joker: Folie à Deux: You get what you deserve

“Joker: Folie à Deux”, continued The 2019 Oscar-winning film Joker. has hit theaters, but audiences are laughing for the wrong reasons. The film takes place immediately after the events of Joker, after Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to prove his insanity in order to avoid the death penalty. While in prison, he finds a twin flame in Leigh Quinzel (Lady Gaga). Incredible performances from Phoenix and Gaga, as well as director Todd Phillips’s clear passion for the project, make Joker: Folie à Deux an exciting sequel to the first film. However, the film’s lack of thematic vision, poorly crafted script, and self-indulgence make Joker’s second climax disappointingly flat.

The film has all the elements of a great film, even if those elements don’t play well together. Phillips clearly wanted to push the boundaries of a supervillain film, choosing to play with interesting visual effects and cinematic choices throughout the film. The film takes advantage of the Warner Bros. connection and begins with a cartoon version of the Joker and his crime – an unexpected choice that demonstrates the absurdity of Arthur’s choices and attitude. Additionally, Arthur is creatively obscured by various objects—behind car windows, through prison bars, behind the pixels of old-fashioned televisions, in elaborate television musical productions—emphasizing his internal distance from reality. Cinematography, directed by Lawrence Sher, was also used skillfully to depict Arthur’s mental state. The bright color is used to represent Arthur’s fantastical dreams, and the warmth relates to his love for Lee, which makes sense since she is prone to pyromania.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the two leading actors, also put their all into the film. Phoenix won an Oscar the last time he played the Joker; in the second installation he continues to bring complexity and unsettling intensity to the role. Once again, Phoenix physically transforms for the role, dramatically losing weight and creepily injecting mania into his eyes. Lady Gaga feels as glamorous as Leigh Quinzel – she’s quiet but fierce, crazy and possessed. Her mood swings are especially well portrayed, showing Lee’s unstable mental state.

Unfortunately, these positive aspects of the film are spoiled by the astonishingly terrible script and general pointlessness of the production. The sequel’s predecessor felt extremely purposeful, aiming to shine a light on mental illness and the barbarity of everyday apathy. Every powerful theme in this film only echoes Joker, and the new ideas—media cruelty, the failure of the judicial system, self-destructive relationships—are developed superficially. The script, written by Scott Silver and Todd Phillips, makes each of these themes painfully obvious. Sometimes it can be truly shocking to hear such clichéd words coming from the talented mouth of Joaquin Phoenix. New themes are overshadowed by the constant rehashing of events from Joker, which feels unnecessary since most audiences are unlikely to forget that film’s explosive ending. It feels like there was no clear reason for making the film other than to generate revenue for the DC Cinematic Universe.

Beyond these structural issues, the film felt self-indulgent and over-the-top with its endless musical numbers. For some reason, Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical. This choice is not justified at any stage of execution. While the songs are clearly intended as a window into Arthur’s absurd and deranged fantasies, the essence could only be conveyed through a few of these vignettes. Instead there are 15 musical numbers. They are not based on original music, but on old songs and seem to be placed completely randomly. Every time Arthur starts singing randomly, you feel like you should start giggling, but the laughter is for all the wrong reasons.

Todd Phillips’ latest project simply can’t justify its existence. While there are some gems hidden in this mess – good cinematography and great acting – they can’t distract from the film’s glaring problems. Movie negative box office results Ultimately, that’s what Joker: Folie à Deux deserves – rebukes for the self-indulgence and wasted efforts of two incredible talents.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at: [email protected].