Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Premise: A sequel to the 2019 film. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), otherwise known as Joker, is imprisoned and awaits a trial for his crimes. He begins a relationship with mental patient Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga).
What Works: 2019’s Joker was an origin story of the DC Comics villain that had less to do with comic books and more to do with early Martin Scorsese films, namely Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Joker used the characters and the world of Batman to subvert superhero stories. Arthur Fleck was a pathetic character who wanted to be seen and the climax of Joker was the ironic fulfillment of his dream. In the sequel, Arthur realizes that being seen in not enough because everyone’s conception of him is wrong. In the previous movie, Arthur inadvertently became a revolutionary figure but he has no interest in society. His lawyer (Catherine Keener) mounts a split personality defense that’s obviously irrelevant while Lee falls for Arthur’s Joker identity but not for him. It’s a portrait of the way public figures are flattened and distorted to fit other people’s desires and narratives, and Arthur remains isolated and abused. It’s a bold direction for the sequel. The filmmakers attempt to hold onto the title character’s humanity and further deconstruct the meaning of comic book characters.
What Doesn’t: Folie à Deux never successfully delivers on its ambitions. The very premise undermines the climax of the previous movie. Arthur is not really his public image but the filmmakers don’t differentiate effectively between Arthur the private person and Joker the public persona. The first half of Folie à Deux is a chore to sit through because the story isn’t really going anywhere. Unlike the first film, which drove relentlessly toward Arthur’s transformation into Joker, large portions of Folie à Deux don’t develop the characters or advance the plot. Joaquin Phoenix reprises the role of Arthur Fleck but he’s mostly repeating moments we’ve already seen because the filmmakers fail to build upon the end of the previous story. Folie à Deux includes an ongoing musical motif in which Arthur imagines himself and Lee in song and dance numbers. The musical concept is random. There is no reason to imagine Arthur and Lee this way and the sequences have very little payoff. Few of the musical moments actually communicate anything. The relationship between Arthur and Lee is mishandled. There’s not much sense of an emotional connection between them and Lady Gaga is wasted in the role.
Bottom Line: Joker: Folie à Deux attempts to subvert a subversion. It’s an interesting idea done poorly. The Joker couplet is intended to be a tragedy but the storytelling and filmmaking choices muddle that idea.
Episode: #1016 (October 13, 2024)