TL;DR – This is one of those films that the more I have had time to think about it, the less I liked it. Compelling performances are not enough when you are swimming in the thematic shallow end of the pool but pretending you jump in the deep end.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Joker: Folie à Deux Review –

Well, hmm, this was always going to be a complex review for me because I did not connect at all with the first Joker film. While many were rightly praising Joaquin Phoenix’s performance and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s musical score. I came away from that narrative feeling primarily hollow. It felt like this was a movie that wanted to say something about mental health, the role of the press, and the way that societies disenfranchise people and then get upset when they work outside societal norms. But the writing felt like someone wanted to talk about all these issues but didn’t have all that much to say other than ‘see … look … bad’ which, yes, okay, but we already knew this: what are you bringing to the table other than you watched Taxi Driver? But we are in sequel territory, and I am always happy when a sequel can improve on the original work. Well, let’s see if that is what we have today.

So, to set the scene, it has been two years since ‘The Joker’ as Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been dubbed, causing a riot across Gotham City after killing a popular TV host live on air. Since then, he has been housed at Arkham State Hospital a place where nothing ever goes wrong at all. However, as his court case for his crimes draws close, Arthur meets a new inmate, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who might be just what he needs or a manipulation that could have drastic effects. Now, in our review today, we will spend the first half looking over some of the general themes. When we get into some of the minutiae of the narrative, we will warn you when we might touch on some spoilers.

While I did have significant issues with the film, that is not to say that it was utterly missing anything to champion. Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix work exceptionally well with each other. Some of those early scenes when they first meet in the choir room are electric and I think the fire duet might be the best moment the film reaches in its runtime. On that front, full respects to Lawrence Sher for his cinematography in this film. There are some simply stunning moments for a visual perspective in how he uses light to reveal and obscure. This is supported by Hildur Guðnadóttir’s musical score. I think it is safe to say that Hildur has some of the best cello work in the business today.

Where things start to fail is in the themes that the film wanted to explore. We get a lot of discussion about the role of the press, the intersection of fame, and how dangerous parasocial relationships can be. I think that, in some of these aspects, the film found a slightly firmer footing than the first Joker. This is especially true in its depiction of the dehumanisation that happens in institutions that are looking after some of the most vulnerable people in society. But for the rest of the film, while I am glad that the narrative wants to talk about these issues. It is once again a case of everyone going, “Look, this is bad”, without genuinely integrating what that all means.           

Part of the awkwardness of this film comes from it feeling like they wanted to make a different movie but needed to change all the names to vaguely fit into the DC world. This is also something that we saw a bit in the first film. Now, I am not saying that people can’t come up with different interpretations of the characters they are playing or writing. However, much like making food from various cultures, sure, you can modernise or even fusion it, but before you branch out, you need to have a good understanding of the subject matter, especially when you are charging people. Also, at this point, I must ask if anyone in the production knows what a musical is because, for all the loud proclamations to the contrary, this was a musical and a profoundly just okay one at that.      

[SPOILERS] I think there are aspects of those classic characters there if you look, for example, a romantic relationship that has a familiar power dynamic; however, they have switched up which character has the inappropriate power imbalance. But this is only there if you really are looking for it, and I might be reaching here to find something. I mean, there is a point in the film when a significant character moment happens, but it occurs in the back of the shot, mostly obscured, and I think most will even miss that it is happening at all. I would think it would have been a wild choice if the rest of the film had worked even a little bit better. This was also not the only time the movie tried to have significant character points happen, off-screen or obscured.   

Unfortunately, this is a film of two halves, and once we get into the court case proper, you can just feel the narrative slam on the brakes. The back half of the film really drags out, even more so when you realise that they have already heavily telegraphed what is going to go down. There is this scene where Arthur is interviewed by Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan), which works as a pivot point for the film, and unfortunately, this was the point that I very much started to disconnect from what was going on. There are aspects of the film, like the slipping into fantasy worlds, that work well in the first half of the film, but they start feeling exhausting as we go on. Also, the musical numbers which lose their impact the second a gun is drawn. The only interesting part of the film that I could find for myself was Gary Puddles’ (Leigh Gill) testimony. I think focusing on that sort of humanity would have been a good step in the right direction.   

Part of what makes this film a bit of a slog is that while it is only just over two hours long, it feels like a significantly longer movie. You can see how the film is trying to paint Arthur in a sympathetic light, a pawn in other people’s games. Indeed, it is interesting watching them depict The Joker as the one being manipulated in a way that traditionally would have been played by a female character. However, everything just feels dragged out in a way that eventually becomes unsustainable. All of this could have been waved away if they had stuck the landing, but alas, they didn’t from me. From hearing the rumblings around me in the screenings, I don’t think it stuck the landing for many, and I think it actively infuriated some people.    

In the end, do we recommend Joker: Folie à Deux? Unfortunately, no. I am not even sure I could recommend it to people who liked the first film, given how tonally different it is. Unfortunately, it did not connect with me at all. I wish it did because it is exploring an area where I am interested in. If you liked Joker: Folie à Deux, we would recommend to you The Rooster.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Joker: Folie à Deux
Directed by – Todd Phillips
Screenplay by – Scott Silver & Todd Phillips
Based on – Characters by DC Comics created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Paul Dini & Bruce Timm and Joker by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
Music by – Hildur Guðnadóttir
Cinematography by – Lawrence Sher
Edited by – Jeff Groth
Production/Distribution Companies – DC Studios, Joint Effort, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring – Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Harry Lawtey & Steve Coogan with Leigh Gill, Sharon Washington, Jacob Lofland, Gattlin Griffith, Ken Leung & Bill Smitrovich  
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R