Joker: Folie à Deux Review | Too many follies trip up Joker sequel

Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix return to Gotham, New York City, with the impeccably shot, emotionally inert Joker: Folie à Deux.

Set two years after the events of Joker, Arther Fleck (Phoenix) is awaiting trial in Arkham. Similar to the tone of the first one, Phoenix portrays Fleck as listless. The only person who inspires Fleck from his dour existence is the manipulative Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She encourages Arthur to embrace the “Joker” persona during his trial.

After the initial setup in Arkham, the movie becomes an uninteresting courtroom drama where Fleck’s lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), aims to convince a jury that “Joker” is a manifestation of another personality. The courtroom storyline doesn’t work because there’s no question about the perception of Arthur. He doesn’t have multiple personalities; he’s a mentally unfit individual who fantasizes about being the Joker.

Phillips takes a massive swing by injecting musical elements into the sequel to represent Joker’s fantasies. Almost all of these sequences involving Phoenix and Gaga fall flat. In fact, except for one musical sequence, it seems as if Phoenix and Gaga were told to sing as poorly as possible.

Phoenix delivers another compelling performance as Arthur. Gaga is fine as Lee. Unfortunately, their romance fizzles due to the lack of focus on Lee beyond some heavy-handed exposition. Joker: Folie à Deux fails at showing who Lee is and what she hopes to gang by manipulating Arthur the way she does.

In the first film, Phillips and returning writer Scott Silver, blurred the line between reality and fiction. There is no such distinction in the sequel. While Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t predictable, the 3rd act is terrible and refutes the first film. I have several issues with the first film’s interpretation of mental health, but how Phillips attempts to break down Arthur’s martyrdom lacks proper setup.

Overall, Joker: Folie à Deux is a disappointing, unnecessary sequel.

After the overview and rating of Joker: Folie à Deux  3.5 out of 10 (Bad), let’s explore the lowly origins of Harley and Joker’s relationship, Arkham and Arthur’s courtroom battle. Need to catch up? 2019’s Joker is available to stream on Max.

The Joker and Harley show in Joker: Folie à Deux

Arthur and Lee meet in Arkham as fellow patients. Lee claims to have set fire to her home. She felt inspired by Arthur’s actions two years ago. Despite some clear omissions of information, it’s clear why Lee is infatuated with Arthur. Less clear is what Arthur sees in Lee beyond feeding off the energy of fanaticism.

Once the trial begins, the relationship falls into the background, and Lee’s lies make the relationship outcome predictable.

The musical elements transport Arthur and Lee to a sound stage where their fantasies run wild. Joker: Folie à Deux‘s music consists of original songs and covers. Within the confines of Arkham, Joker and Harley sing emotionally removed cover songs such as “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

In their minds, they enter the Joker and Harley show in a format similar to the talk show that inspired Arthur’s desire to be a comedian. These sequences involve some original songs. Unfortunately, the performances by Gaga and especially Phoenix leave something to be desired.

Arthur in Arkham

There are elements of Arthur in Arkham that show promise. Unfortunately, once the court case begins, the awkward relationship between the abusive guards and hero worship by fellow patients becomes something else.

When Joker: Folie à Deux begins, Arthur endures bullying by fellow guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) between meetings with his lawyer. Lee isn’t the only patient who believes in Arthur. Several patients view Arthur as a hero.

The support from fellow inmates swells while the guards’ chiding becomes more menacing as the court case progresses. Examining how other patients view Arthur is an enticing story that aligns more with the first film. Unfortunately, the romance and court case take so much story real estate that none of the other patients come to the forefront.

Joker in Court

The court case revolves around a dilemma in which the audience already knows the answer. Arthur’s lawyer wants to convince the court Joker is a split personality and not a mere fantasy concocted by Arthur to murder six people. Meanwhile, the state of New York is seeking the death penalty and attempting to convince the jury Arthur’s murders were premeditated.

The only exciting moment during the case is Phoenix’s Foghorn Leghorn impression as Joker. Otherwise, the case is boring and consists of characters from the first film providing details we already have. For example, Gary Puddles turns up as one of the witnesses and, just like in the first film, is a nervous wreck still processing what Arthur did. The DA’s questioning doesn’t probe any new ground, and the same holds for the rest of the witnesses.

This court case provides all the evidence for why this film isn’t needed.

Joker: Folie à Deux Final Thoughts

Phoenix’s committed performance and Lawrence Sher‘s award-worthy cinematography aren’t enough to make Joker: Folie à Deux a worthwhile experience.