In 2019, Todd Phillips gave us Joker, a highly divisive, but undeniably impactful film starring Joaquin Phoenix. Five years later Phillips and Phoenix are back for the sequel Joker: Folie à Deux (now in theatres), adding Lady Gaga to the mix.
Every time there’s a sequel for anything the question that comes up is always: Did you need this? While Joker: Folie à Deux is filled to the brim with star power and musical numbers, with the possibility of pulling from beloved Batman lore (although Phillips has largely kept his films focused on his own take on the title character), this new film struggles to be satisfying.
Joker: Folie à Deux release date: Oct. 4
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Leigh Gill, Bill Smitrovich
Runtime: 138 minutes
What is ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ about?
Joker: Folie à Deux begins with Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) being held at the maximum security wing of Arkham State Hospital, set to stand trial for the murder of five people, which we saw in Phillips’ first Joker film.
Right before meeting with his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), Arthur catches a glimpse into a music class in the minimum-security area, locking eyes with Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). That’s followed by guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) enrolling him in the class.
The pair instantly hit it off, there’s an undeniable connection between them, and Lee presents herself as Arthur’s super fan. But Arthur’s lawyer warns him about getting too close to Lee, teasing that everything she says may not be entirely true.
Disjointed disappointment
To put it simply, Joker: Folie à Deux will likely disappoint most people in the audience.
If you’re a fan of Lady Gaga, you’ll be disappointed about how under-utilized she is in the film. If you love musicals, the musical numbers lack any real energy and excitement, treated like more oddly placed interruptions. If you’re a fan of DC comics, there isn’t a strong connection to sink into, more like light references.
The core reason why Joker: Folie à Deux will keep your attention is because you’re thinking in the next second, just around the corner, a piece of information will be revealed that will piece together this disjointed story. That never happens.
The story is really the biggest letdown. Somewhere in there are the nuts and bolts of a dark love story, a possible evaluation of someone who is obsessed and falls in love with a murderer, and how he responds, but we’re not tapping into that here.
Much of the film’s focus in on Arthur in a way that feels like an attempt to evaluate his motivations, but it’s a tedious journey that proves uninteresting, and without any satisfaction.
That being said, there is absolutely no denying that Phoenix has this really appealing embodiment of Arthur. The intricacies of his movement, even the smallest of gestures feel like lightening through the screen.
For Lady Gaga, you can easily sense her commitment to her character, but it feels wasted on an underdeveloped role. Yes, we know she can sing, but as someone who has created one of the most impactful and innovative performance personas in history, which has also evolved over time, I’m not quite sure why she’s given so little to work with in this film. She’s more than proven she can do more than just stand and sing.
Overall Joker: Folie à Deux feels like you’re flying above the makings of a interesting story, but never actually land.