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Writer's pictureSaxon Whitehead

'Joker: Folie à Deux': The Joke's on the Audience



During one of the numerous musical numbers in Joker: Folie à Deux, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel are introduced in the style of a ‘70s variety show and emerge singing the classic Bee Gees hit “To Love Somebody”, after the first chorus, the song stops, and Joker says that he feels Lee is making the song all about her and leaving him out. The two engage in playful banter which culminates in Lee looking at Joker and saying “Let’s give the people what they want.” to which a shadowy studio audience responds with applause and cheers. But everything that happens in the film after this moment couldn’t be further from what the people want, and that’s kind of the whole point.


At a time where most comic book movies lean into fan service, one might be expecting Folie à Deux to follow suit. But much like how 2019’s Joker deviated from the norm by being a moody, darker character study instead of a traditional comic book adaptation, this film deviates from the norm by having seething contempt for its fanbase. From the inclusion of musical numbers to the film largely acting as a courtroom drama, Folie à Deux seeks to go against what people might think a Joker sequel would be. That alone would be enough to alienate viewers, but the fact that the film goes a step further and confronts both the Joker as a persona and the people who idolize him. The film has some audacious aspirations for itself, and I would argue that this film does exactly what director Todd Phillips was hoping to accomplish. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t have much to say outside of its main goal of deconstructing the fantasy surrounding the character of Joker, and comes across as sluggish and poorly executed.


Two years after murdering six people, Arthur Fleck, a.k.a. Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) is locked up in Arkham State Hospital and is awaiting trial. He has settled into a rather sad and mundane existence there, but he begins to see a glimmer of hope when he passes by a music therapy group in the hospital. He is fascinated by it, and ends up joining the group. While there, he immediately connects with one of the people in the group, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), and the two quickly fall in love. She becomes an outspoken advocate for him on the outside and is a prominent fixture in all of his hearings. As the trial goes on, Arthur finds himself dreaming of a possible future with Lee, all while wrestling with what his true identity is.


What had me most intrigued by Folie à Deux from the jump is the fact that it is a musical. Some of the promotional materials have been a little cagey about this aspect, but don’t let that fool you: this is an honest to God musical. It’s certainly a bold choice, but one that massively piqued my interest due to how out of left field it is. While this concept is interesting in theory, it does not work all that well in practice. I can see what the film is going for with the inclusion of its musical numbers, as they mostly function as a means of Arthur expressing his emotions and fantasies, but they end up being incredibly hit or miss. From the first song, it is clear that Todd Phillips has no experience and very little knowledge of how to handle musical sequences, and many of early ones are bland and uninteresting. All of the numbers that are rooted in the real world are an absolute snooze, but the ones that take place via fantasy sequences are kind of fun at least. It helps that those moments have some decent production design and Lady Gaga’s vocals to lean on, but they can only do so much. Phillips kind of lucks into those particular moments, but the rest of the numbers are directed so poorly and with little enthusiasm. Making this film into a musical is something that could have worked fairly well, but it doesn’t fully commit to this idea and hurts the film in the process.


I was much more surprised to realize that this film is more of a courtroom drama than anything, as long stretches of the film are devoted to Arthur Fleck’s trial. This kind of works both as a natural progression from the previous film, and directly taps into what the film is trying to say. The entire film is in conversation with the cultural impact that the Joker has had, and criticizes how he has become idolized by some. The entire trial storyline directly tackles this, as Arthur’s previous actions are being litigated, as is the Joker persona in general. This is probably the most interesting thing about the film to me, as it bucks against those who loved the first film, and completely goes against what they would want from a Joker sequel. It also allows for some commentary on how the character of Joker has been co-opted by toxic fans as somewhat of an aspirational figure, instead of the deeply disturbed character he is. This film remedies this by showing Arthur Fleck for who he truly is, and stripping away all mystique of the Joker by the film’s end. It is another bold move for the film, one that will undoubtedly upset fans of the first film, but it definitely gives Folie à Deux an interesting edge. 


But while this aspect of the film is admittedly one of its strengths, it doesn’t have much else to say, nor does it go as deep as it potentially could have. I am all for this film being a meta-commentary on fandom and critiquing the obsession some have with the Joker, but its assessments on these topics don’t go too far below the surface. They are by far the clearest statements that the film makes, for sure, but they feel like they were merely meant to provoke outrage among audiences and not provide any deep insight. I’m not saying this film needed to be a comprehensive deconstruction of toxic fandom or mental illness or any other themes that the film brushes against, but there are so many missed opportunities here. Todd Phillips seems to be so focused on getting a big reaction from the audience that he failed to give much of his energy to anything else. This isn’t too surprising in the sense that Phillips’s directorial work as a whole is rather shallow, but the first Joker film did at least feel like it was making a small effort to explore larger themes. 


This film has major edgelord energy, as if Phillips is getting some sick satisfaction of messing with the audience. I somewhat respect that he is willing to alienate his core audience, but I wish he would have had more to say in this film beyond “This guy sucks and so do you.” or “Pretty messed up, huh?” Not to mention that much of the courtroom scenes are kind of boring. It is clear to see what Phillips is going for with this entire film, and most of the choices he makes feel deliberate. The fact of the matter is that he has clearly bitten off more than he can chew, and doesn’t have the capabilities to make this film fully work. His direction feels lazy for the most part, although he does have some moments where he comes alive a little. But his lack of experience in both directing musical numbers and serious dramatic scenes is extremely apparent, and undermines much of what he’s going for. It’s clear to see what he’s trying to do with this film, but he is only partially successful in accomplishing his vision at best.


At least the film has a talented cast to help pick up some of the pieces. Lady Gaga is perhaps the biggest standout, even though her screen time is more limited than the marketing would have you believe. Her sheer presence helps elevate how underwritten the character of Lee Quinzel is, and she brings this ambiguity to the performance that has you wondering what her true intentions are at certain points. Of course, she also breathes some life into the musical numbers, as she is a born performer. I like how she adjusts her singing voice a bit to better match the character, as opposed to going full Gaga. It gives her performance some verisimilitude, and had me wishing there was more of her in the film. Joaquin Phoenix is quite good as well, and I am intrigued by some of the choices he makes here. Much like the first one, he is rather showy as Arthur Fleck/Joker, but his more theatrical choices generally work within the context of the film. His singing voice isn’t the best, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me too much. The moments where he gets to let loose are easily the most memorable of the film, but his quieter moments leave a decent impact as well. I also enjoyed Brendan Gleeson’s performance as Jackie, an abusive guard at Arkham. He is funny at times, but has this imposing energy that really makes the character pop and feel rather intimidating. I also liked Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan in this film, both of whom are basically given glorified cameos, but are both quite good despite this. 


Joker: Folie à Deux is a film made for a very limited audience. Those expecting this to be anything like the original will be sorely disappointed, and will likely hate this film. It is going for something so specific, essentially tearing down the version of the Joker that was established in the first movie and making a clear, disapproving statement in response to fans of the character and the strange cultural footprint he’s left. It is obvious what Todd Phillips was hoping to accomplish with this film, and while there are hints of that vision throughout, it never feels fully realized. There is no depth to what is being presented, leaving the film to come across like it is just trying to get a rise out of people and not much else. I have a begrudging respect for the ambition this film has, but I wish that it would have fully committed to what it’s going for. Perhaps in the hands of a more skilled filmmaker, this could have been something great. But as it stands, Joker: Folie à Deux is a half-hearted collage of ideas that will work for a select few, but will likely frustrate and disappoint most viewers. 


Rating: 2.5/5

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