REVIEW: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
*SPOILERS* Is this even a real movie?
⚠️ Please be advised, this review contains spoilers. ⚠️
I finally got around to watching Joker: Folie à Deux now that it’s out on Max. I don’t even know where to start.
I was never going to buy a movie ticket to watch this movie. From the second Joker 2 was announced as a musical, I knew nothing good was going to come out of that. The target audience wouldn’t enjoy it, and neither would casual viewers or hardcore fans. So why would I waste my twenty dollars on a ticket?
For the next two years after its announcement, fans desperately tried to draw theories as to why it would be a musical: Could it all just be in Arthur’shead? Will Harley become the villain? Or is it going to go completely off the rails and become an actual musical?
It ended up being that Todd Phillips just went off the rails for this one. Joker: Folie à Deux is a jumbled mess in its execution, leaving a sour taste in many fan’s mouths.
Joker was a hit, grossing over $1 billion in its theatrical run worldwide. It held the top spot as the highest-grossing rated R film for five years. The release of Deadpool & Wolverine this past summer dethroned Joker, overtaking the top spot.
In comparison to Joker’s theatrical success, Joker: Folie à Deux failed miserably. Worldwide, Joker: Folie à Deux grossed only $206 million in its theatrical run. Critics and fans panned the film almost immediately.
Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) two years after the events of Joker. He’s been institutionalized in Arkham State Hospital, where he is waiting to be put on trial for his previous crimes. In the hospital, he meets Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who goes by “Lee.” While they fall in love, Arthur’s trial becomes a courtroom drama, musical, and “study” of mental illness all in one.
The film is not a “real” musical in the sense that no original music was created for the film. Most of the music is covers of songs that already exist, with one original song by Lady Gaga. Still, it is integrated into the film and sometimes comes in at the wrong times.
Every time someone broke out into song, I would hit the mute button. The first couple of songs I was able to manage, but god, if I was in the theater I’d probably use it as a bathroom break.
Joker as a character is very unpredictable. But is he unpredictable enough to randomly break out into song in the middle of his trial? Possibly. He is supposed to be deranged, just like this film.
The only problem with the musical aspect is that its execution is done so poorly. A tense moment in his trial leads to…singing? Lee decides to leave Arthur after he represents himself in court and she sings on her way out.
For me, the singing takes away the seriousness of it all. Arthur is at Lee’s service for most of the film. Her leaving should be a devastating moment for Arthur to put him in a more catatonic state of mind, but it doesn’t happen.
The singing doesn’t help to move the plot along either and it takes up minutes that sometimes feel like forever. If they wanted to use music, they could’ve done it non-diegetically. That way, the narrative could continue to move along.
Despite the criticism of the jukebox musical, I don’t think that’s the film's main weakness. It’s simply a matter of the story being too convoluted to the point where it doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Is it a study of mental illness? Is it all an imagination? Is Arthur finally paying for his crimes and owning it? It does all three, but the film doesn’t even know for sure.
Theories have circulated as to why Joker: Folie à Deux was a far cry from the first Joker film. From Todd Phillips making the film terrible on purpose due to Warner Bros. forcing another sequel, to intentionally destroying the fanbase and right-wing culture that was amassed after the first Joker release.
Other fans have theorized the film by dissecting it beyond the surface level. Everything in Joker: Folie à Deux is done for show: Arthur’s publicized trial, his televised interview in Arkham, and his overwhelming support from his followers.
Because just like musicals, everything is done on a stage, in front of an audience, which Arthur craves the most. These are the few moments where he can put on his performance of a lifetime as the Joker.
But behind the curtain, he isn’t the Joker. Arthur is a shell of the Joker, just an imitation of someone he wants to be, but isn’t. He has shown to not be capable of being the same sociopath we have seen in previous iterations of his character.
The audience of the film is represented through Arthur’s followers. We’re not supposed to “support” Arthur’s actions, we’re not even supposed to enjoy his story. So when it doesn’t go the way we want it to, we are ultimately left disappointed.
Still, even with this new perspective on the film, it’s a slap in the face for true fans of the Joker and his story. Even with the introduction of Joker’s literal partner-in-crime, that falls short. For that, the film gives us a whole lot of nothing.
Gaga and Phoenix’s performances are the film’s saving grace. They meshed well together on screen and could even be deserving of some nominations for the awards season. Gaga committed to making an entire album to coincide with the release of the film, promoting it as a “companion album” which proved to be worthy of a listen.
Is there anyone to blame for Joker: Folie à Deux being received so terribly? I think it’s hard to say,
Joker: Folie à Deux was a dumpster fire, and not because of the musical element, but simply because of its sloppy execution. It attempts to be many things at once, and ultimately, doesn’t know what it’s trying to say about Arthur and the Joker.
Given Arthur’s death in the end, we will see how this plays out in future DC titles if anything is done at all. His fate leaves many unanswered questions about what is going to come out of Arthur’s story.
I gave Joker: Folie à Deux an overall rating of 1.5/5. While its composition and acting style was done well, the narrative ultimately suffers the most. If I wanted to see that, then I would’ve watched a Wes Anderson film.
Had specific developments been dropped in this film, I’m sure the overall reaction to the film would be much more positive. But to many, Joker: Folie à Deux is simply another name added to the growing list of “musical” movie flops.