Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

A simple argument could be made that the best thing about 2019’s Joker was that it finally gave an Oscar to Joaquin Phoenix.

While making over three million at the domestic box office surely helped (and just over a billion worldwide), that did become a bad thing, as it mean a sequel would be made. In a time when many a sequel can shine (and even out do it’s predecessor), Joker: Folie à Deux simply baffles us with its choices. Quelle pagaille (what a mess).

While the film has an unexpected surprise in how it opens (which I almost missed thanks to lousy traffic), we see the film starts two years after the events of the first film. Fleck (Phoenix) has been in Arkham Asylum (which has some of the crappiest security in any movie I can think of) as he awaits his trial of the murders he committed, while being subjected to more torment by the guards (the main one played by Brendon Gleeson). One day, due to good behavior, he gets to be a part of a musical therapy type group in the minimal security wing, where he meets Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is instantly obsessed with Joker (but not Arthur Fleck).

When the film is not at the Asylum, it is in the court house, as Fleck is being prosecuted by a young (pre Two Face) Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), who is seeking the death penalty. The only person who seems to actually care for Fleck (not Joker, but Fleck) is his lawyer, played by the ever uber talented Catherine Keener. She has faith Fleck can be found innocent, provided he does not revert to the Joker (which is the mission for Quinzel).

There are many swings that director (and co writer) Todd Phillips takes with this film, most notably to make it a musical. That choice for being a concept of the film would make it all the more reason why they would pick someone like Lady Gaga to play the love interest. That said, they don’t give Gaga the chance to truly bust out her truly unique pipes (Phoenix is obviously the lesser singer, but he gets by). 

Most of the song choices are ones I am personally a fan of (you can’t go wrong with songs by Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and The Bee Gees, to name just a few), but none of the songs sung in the film (including the original ones) had me eager to find them on Spotify. As for the visual results of the numbers, you can tell that they were shot a specific way, but they lack any form of entertainment value.

I won’t get into the plot choices made, since it will go into spoiler territory. What I will say is they simply do not land at all: They result in nothing more than a loud, blunt thud.

Parents, the film’s content is the same as the first film (with one quick sex scene, though no nudity). If you did not let them see the first film, don’t let them see this one.

The true greatness of the first film was how we saw the slow decline of Arthur Fleck (mainly due to the talent of Phoenix). That film had Todd Philips drawing some obvious inspirations from Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) and The King of Comedy (1982). For the sequel, I’ve not the faintest idea what inspired it, other than to make money.

When I saw this at my local theater, I left to see that actress Kate McKinnon was outside preparing to do a book signing for her new children’s book; The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. 

That was easily the more interesting and memorable part.

Overall: