‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Review: Todd Phillips Sends the Clown to Court in Dull and Misguided Musical Sequel
Todd Phillips is a villain for making musical theater nuts, and Little Monsters sit in the same room as incels to watch a Joker film. The sequel to the 2019 billion-dollar phenomenon, subtitled Folie à Deux, is not just any Joker sequel, but one that (eventually) takes the form of a court procedural. And a musical. Because, you know, for the gays.
Through his return with Arthur Fleck, Phillips contends with the response to his Oscar-nominated Taxi Driver and King of Comedy rip-off, thinking that the film would incite riots or a tragedy like The Dark Knight Rises Aurora massacre. In reality, it only incited discourse regarding its monotony. As he puts Arthur Fleck (and the first film) on trial, the even more egregious Folie à Deux reminds us of how weightless the first Joker was with its characterization yet had me longing for its neutral, unreliable narrative approach. Not even the inclusion of a Lady Gaga Harley Quinn and stuffing it with musical sequences can help this sequel's damning case.
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Photo Credit: Scott Garfield/™ & © DC Comics
R: Some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 18 Minutes
Production Companies: Domain Entertainment, DC Studios, Joint Efforts
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Scott Silver, Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz
Release Date: October 4, 2024
While serving time in Arkham Asylum for the murder of Murray Franklin and others, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow inmate who falls head over heels for him. The shared madness between them gets their hearts singing in harmony. As Fleck eventually goes on trial for his crimes, he must decide if he is either Arthur Fleck, the tragic man who was brutally bashed by the system and the world around him who just snapped, or the Joker, the beacon for hope and change for the lower class in Gotham.
Despite its smaller scope, Todd Phillips' direction delivers about the same showmanship and style as Joker in Folie à Deux. Yet, I'd say his skill set has become more refined. He's comfy in his moody portrayal of Gotham, straying from the Taxi Driver comparisons and adding moments of stylish picturesque imagery when needed. Lawrence Sher was always a great cinematographer, and in this film, he goes for a more visually ambitious look, bearing a bold usage of color that allows the musical detours, such as Harley and Joker dancing across a rooftop or the exterior of Arkham Asylum institution, to pop. There are countless beautiful shots, especially when characters smoke cigarettes in the spotlight. Sequences within the confines of the prison and the Gotham exteriors are undeniably captivating.
Joaquin Phoenix is the firecracker that makes Folie à Deux a watchable experience, granting you a better sense of his character. Phoenix delivers subtle cues when challenged to show the inner turmoil between his Joker persona and the tragic Fleck.
Lady Gaga is why you're here, but sadly, she won’t be in this portion of the review. In her stead, I will give credit to a minor performance that gives this nothing-sandwich of a film some actual flavor, and that's Leigh Gill as Gary Puddles, Fleck’s ex-employer from the predecessor. Gill is present in one scene during the trial, which, by that point, feels like a drag. Yet, the moment he's on the stand, Gill unleashes that inner trauma his character faced in the previous film and adds some thematic depth the installment was devoid of. Since the movie is all about whether the homicides committed were the actions of Joker or Fleck, his presence challenges this position, considering that he was the only person who saw both sides of the main character at work and as Joker when he slammed that other dude's face in front of him. Gill blew me away, making me long for the movie that should've been.
Todd Phillips advanced his skill set as a filmmaker. Yay. Shame, that doesn't mean anything since he doesn't do a damn thing regarding the musical format. Between Joker: Folie à Deux and the upcoming Emilia Perez – a whole other can of worms I’m not ready to open just yet – it’s frustrating to see a filmmaker with a limited range attempt the movie musical genre. Phillips must’ve never experienced a movie musical, as his direction of these numbers lacks style, flair, or whimsy. Even for a Joker movie, it’s so subdued and ashamed of being a musical, making me question the movie’s $200 million budget. I've seen other films of the same genre that accomplished much better with less.
Each number starts awkwardly, with a character jumping into a song via a stream of consciousness. These numbers serve as devices that represent all the emotions Fleck experiences throughout his trial, something the predecessor did very intuitively via its narrative presentation. Now you have the thematic equivalent of flashy keys jingling in your face.
Of course, Lady Gaga continues to be sublime, pouring every aspect of her natural-born talent into her performance. She and Phoenix have some genuine chemistry together but all of my praise towards her is hindered by the poor writing by Phillips and co-writer Scott Silvers. Lee Quinzel is a maniac – manic pixie dream girl, even – in the literal sense as most of her screen time is designated to Fleck’s dream sequences. The concept of this Lee Quinzel is a fascinating take on the iconic comic book character, but never made to be a real character. She represents the first film's praised reception, so to say how underutilized she is feels like an understatement. The simplistic dialogue between her and Phoenix adds to the wasted potential. To add insult to injury, all of the musical sequences start with her singing out of the blue, mid-conversation, on ample occasions, to the point that it becomes annoying. To even write, “I was annoyed by Lady Gaga in a movie” (and I sat through House of Gucci) feels like a crime.
Regardless, a ton of the issues from Joker permeate Folie à Deux, particularly regarding its hollow attempt to inspect Fleck’s mental illness. You have these grating conversations discussing this randomly introduced aspect of Fleck suffering from a split persona condition as if we’re supposed to take it seriously when even the writers aren’t doing so themselves. For the most part, the film had me wondering, “What are we even doing here?” until the cop-out ending, which had me turn to my editor and ask, “Was this a whole elaborate joke?”
Ultimately, Joker: Folie à Deux is a dull, misguided, and alienating sequel full of confetti but no pizzazz, failing to justify its existence, and it deserves a tomato to the face. Todd Phillips knows how to put the HA into being a hack.
