REVIEW: "Joker: Folie a Deux" (2024)

WRITER'S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on October 8, 2024. 

Director Todd Phillips has made no secret that the follow-up to his surprising, riveting, and controversial take on Batman’s greatest nemesis from 2019—or, at least, one possible version of him—was going to be in musical format. Joker: Folie à Deux (a French term for madness caused by two people) may be the first movie of its kind since Tim Burton’s 2007 film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd. On the other hand, this aspect, along with the new film’s execution, has immediately divided critics and has been making audiences (especially comic book fans) rage quit. It may tie with Frances Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis as the year’s most polarizing film. 

Considering that both projects were ambitious undertakings, made by skilled directors and featuring committed actors and stunning IMAX-sized cinematography (Lawrence Sher oversaw the look of this film, with the shot of perfectly placed lipstick on a windowsill as a standout), there does seem to be a method to their madness. 

Phillips’ sequel certainly has a bold, daring, and subversive approach, with haunting, sometimes nerve-racking, covers of popular songs. Joaquin Phoenix (as the troubling and incarcerated Arthur Fleck, on trial for his appalling crimes in the last film) and Lady Gaga (as this universe’s version of Harley Quinn, named Lee Quinzel) both deliver fantastic performances, vocal and dance chops, and genuine chemistry. Do their characters bring out the bright sides of each other, or are they just a recipe for disaster? The answer is pretty obvious (especially for avid comic book readers), as both characters share troubled upbringings and misguided worldviews. It sure puts a new spin on the term, “hopeless romantics.” 

There are also some clever but twisted visual homages to old MGM musicals (including a sequence where our main duo literally sings in the rain) and Looney Tunes cartoons, and an implication or two that Arthur may or may not be the actual Joker. Could he be just a figment of his own madness and imagination, or a precursor to something much more shocking? Make no mistake, this film is bleak, profane, and bloody, with depressing/tragic references to suicide and, like the first flick, a gut-punch of an ending. 

The first Joker was understandably divisive, but this 2024 sequel is something else. In fact, it may be a harder pill to swallow, as it isn’t sure of itself at times. (It feels schizophrenic, for lack of a better term.) Add to that the portrayal of the justice system, with an apparent apathy and cruelty towards the mentally ill. (Harvey Dent is in this early-1980s-set story, too. And, like Thomas Wayne in the first movie, his portrayal could make certain viewers angry.) Then there’s the public’s view of celebrity status, performance, and reality, and the blurred lines between them, including who and what they want to see as opposed to what is. 

Is this sequel ahead of its time? Was it unnecessary? Only time will tell if people look at it differently years from now (same with Coppola’s film). Even so, Joker: Folie à Deux is a rare case where a film makes me wonder, “What was this really all about?” One character does proclaim, “Arthur is not dealing with reality.” Make a note of that. 

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