‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Review – Beautiful Technical Achievement But Narratively Pointless

Joker: Folie à Deux may very well end up the most frustrating movie of the year. Without a doubt, the sequel to the 2019 billion-dollar earner has some of the most beautiful imagery you’ll see in a film all year as director Todd Phillips has confidence behind the camera, at least visually, that elevates the material to surprising heights. It should also be noted that the sequel takes some huge swings and should be celebrated for at least trying to approach the material in a way that would make this worth another trip into Arthur Fleck’s (Joaquin Phoenix) twisted psyche. For all the reasons that Joker: Folie à Deux excels, it’s all the more frustrating that this circus act also fails. From a narrative standpoint, the film never finds its way and struggles to justify its existence. It simply rehashes elements from the first film and throws in a dash of musicality, some of which are beautifully conveyed while others don’t add much to the flow of the project at all and mixes it in with courtroom melodrama that seems more at home in the most recent episode of a random CBS procedural. Perhaps the biggest offense of the Joker sequel is that, while Phillips may have had many technical reasons to explore this universe again, the audience might find it hard to come up with a reason why the 2019 film wasn’t just a one-off. Perfectly polarizing and of the moment, with no reason to receive the sequel treatment, especially if it’s not fully cooked like what the audience has received here.

Since the events of the 2019 film, Arthur Fleck has found himself placed in Arkham Asylum as he awaits trial for murdering five people, most notably talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). The events of the movie’s predecessor have made Fleck a particularly controversial figure, but despite his gruesome crimes, he finds himself in the good graces of most of the inmates and guards that inhabit Arkham. Perhaps seeing that Fleck needs to flex his creativity, a corrections officer named Jackie (Brendan Gleeson) finds a way to get him into a music class in a neighboring cellblock, which sets up a crazy meet-cute of sorts with another patient named Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She is a big fan of Fleck’s, likely because they share the same kind of crazy since she became institutionalized after burning her parents’ apartment building down. There is an instant connection, resulting in the pair falling deeply in love.

Getting in the way of their future together is boy wonder District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), who makes it clear that he intends to pursue the death penalty for Fleck’s crimes. Gotham City has become a lawless city, and Dent wants to make an example out of Fleck for his wrongdoing. Fleck has an attorney named Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) who urges him to pursue an insanity defense and separate himself from the persona he created to engage in the brutal murder that he committed on live television: “Joker.”

Much has been made about whether or not Joker: Folie à Deux is a full-blown musical. Many of the creatives, including Phillips and Lady Gaga, have been reluctant to call it one in the classical sense, simply saying that the music comes into play when the characters find it difficult to find the right thing to say. The last time one checked, that pretty much was the essence of a movie musical and that’s exactly what is delivered here. Studios lately have been trying to hide the fact that their movie musicals are indeed musicals and this one was no exception. Going in, one should realize that it is littered with musical numbers and calling it a jukebox musical was right on the money because the audience is treated to some new spins on some classic tracks. Many of the numbers are very on the nose and heavy-handed with their intentions while the set-ups range from simple, such as a number in the prison rec room, to more beautifully staged and elaborate like “The Joker & Harley Show” centerpiece.

Arthur and Lee get to sing the likes of “That’s Entertainment”, “I’ve Got the World on a String”, “Gonna Build A Mountain”, “For Once In My Life”, “If My Friends Could See Me Now”, and more. Most of the numbers are wonderfully staged and add a visual aesthetic to the film that is often so intoxicating that you might forget that the rest of the film isn’t delivering the way that it needs to. For those wondering how Phoenix sounds as a singer, it helps that he’s singing in character. Arthur is meant to be somber and a little flat, so it works for the role. Lady Gaga on the other hand is LADY GAGA so it comes as no surprise that she kills it when she gets to croon. She has said in interviews that she had to adjust her voice a bit to sing like Lee and not like her real-life musical persona but even Lady Gaga singing in character as someone a bit unhinged sounds better than most trying to make it in the music industry.

What becomes a problem with the musical numbers is that while all of these songs are familiar, none of them are particularly fun, which could be a personal gripe. How fun should the songs be given the circumstances of the story the audience is thrown into? However, imagine Grease with wall-to-wall versions of Olivia Newton John’s “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” A beautiful song, no question, but that film needed a “Hand Jive” every so often to pick up the pace. Every song in the film is playing at the same energy, which eventually leads to a sort of sameness of the musical numbers that begin to drag down the film’s pace.

The casting of Lady Gaga was an inspired choice. Whether it’s the animated version of Harley Quinn or Margot Robbie’s live-action take, audiences are familiar with a particular characterization of the role. Kudos to the music megastar and sometimes actress for not copying what came before her. She’s quite good without having to imitate anyone or go over the top with egregious scenery chewing. The problem for Lady Gaga here, making her totally innocent in the process, is that the role is vastly underwritten, and she’s surprisingly underutilized. Her role is merely to be a motivation for Arthur to embrace his inner “Joker.” She’s obsessed with his madness, which has been a key element of the character since her creation, no matter where she pops up, but in this film, it’s simply a plot device. When you’re lucky enough to have Lady Gaga in your movie you don’t use her as a plot mechanism to move someone else’s narrative along. Lee could’ve been just as interesting as Arthur, but she often fades into the background until she’s needed for Arthur to embrace his more psychotic tendencies.

Phoenix went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for the first film, a deserved achievement but his Arthur here is missing a little something that made that first take on the character something special. Perhaps it’s how he’s written. He’s a mournful and somber personality when the audience meets him this time around, and it takes a bit for Phoenix to hit his stride this time around. Eventually, with Lee’s encouragement, Arthur drops his attorney and decides to represent himself at trial. The decision turns the courtroom into a legit circus, but it also allows Phoenix to hit an energy he had been lacking before these scenes. It’s unclear who the actor identifies with more: Arthur the coward or “Joker” the clown, but he seems to be having much more fun essaying the latter. Sadly, the film gives you more of the sad side of his personality, diluting much of the fun that could be had with the character and also proving that there has been very little character evolution since the first movie. Ending the way that film did, one would think Arthur would be embracing the anarchist that emerged during the movie’s climax but he has regressed by the time we meet him again.

Phillips is working with a much bigger budget this time around (a reported $200 million compared to Joker’s $70 million) and it truly shows on screen, although the smaller budget of the first movie also made for a visual flair that worked for that release. Credit to the director and his cinematographer Lawrence Sher because this is one beautiful movie to look at. If one had to grade the film on its visual palette alone, it would be worthy of your price of admission and then some. There is suitable razzle-dazzle for all the musical numbers and some of the first film’s grittiness and bleakness and transferred here effortlessly as well. However, as the film rolls along, it becomes clear that Phillips is letting his visuals do the talking to cover up the fact that there isn’t much new story to tell and that much of the film, at least narratively, is pretty pointless. Also of note is the Looney Tunes cartoon that opens the film. Created by animator Sylvain Chomet, it’s an inspired piece of work that replays Arthur’s murders from the first film, setting the tone for what the audience hopes to get. Unfortunately, the sequel chooses to dabble in courtroom theatrics rather than off-the-wall creativity.

The biggest offense of the film comes during its third act, and while it won’t be revealed here, it provides Arthur with an about-face that rings false and leads to an ending that concludes the film on a note that is bound to disappoint. 2019’s Joker was polarizing, yet successful, for all the right reasons. It sparked discussions about whether or not its violent and bleak aesthetic had something to say and it put a bigger spotlight on Phillips, with many critics questioning if he was paying homage to Martin Scorsese films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy or simply ripping them off. The point is, it was an experiment that served a purpose and perhaps they got lucky the first time. During that film’s press run, it was said more than once that the movie wouldn’t get a sequel and that it was going to be a one-time thing. A billion dollars can change things in a heartbeat but, because of a true lack of reason to really exist, Joker: Folie à Deux has to fight too much to prove that it’s worthy of your time. A lot of visual flash can cover up a lot but it can’t mask the fact that there really wasn’t more story to tell.

Joker: Folie à Deux opens exclusively in theaters on October 4, 2024, courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery.