Joker: Folie a Deux had a disappointing outing at the theaters despite making its money back. It also received a lot of slack for things like being a musical (despite Lady Gaga saying it wasn't). This writer didn’t have the opportunity to see it in theaters and tried to give it the benefit of the doubt before judging it. Now that I’ve officially seen it I can officially say that Joker 2 was in fact…a movie that was released.
If you were looking for an explanation in the first paragraph, that explanation didn’t help. Of course, it was a movie. The problem is this can’t be easily critiqued. Most of what was said about the film was true and other things were exaggerated. Because things aren't so black and white this article will break down everything good, bad, and weird about Joker 2. And, in the end, give a final grade.
WARNING! SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THE ARTICLE!
Harley
Let’s start with love. If you’re a fan of good acting, you’ll enjoy Lady Gaga as “Lee” Quinzel. Sure, she wasn’t the Harley Quinn that fans of the character wanted, but she was still good. If you look at this as an Elseworld Harleen, you’ll like her in this.
Gaga's character Lee was deranged. Her obsession with what Joker represented was fantastically done especially after you learn that she comes from a life of privilege. She burned and broke things because she wanted to rebel. Then she found out that the guy she loved didn’t exist. Her face when the truth came out added to her amazing performance.
"Joker"
Sadly, Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t that good, but it wasn’t all his fault. His version of Arthur Fleck and “Joker” were all over the place. It made it difficult to know if what you’re seeing is good acting or too artsy. That's a negative for the writing and the directing. But Phoenix is a megastar who could have made decisions to make this easier to follow.
You’re probably wondering why Joker is in quotes. It’s because he wasn’t the Clown Prince of Crime. Arthur Fleck was a guy who let the media and his followers give him a name which is fine. But, saying he was never Joker made the movie kind of pointless. Especially since the first film concluded with him enjoying fame.
Now, allow me to give the “Joker” part some grace. Arthur Fleck inspiring the next clown-themed criminal was a nice touch. Just because he didn’t want to be what he created doesn’t mean he wouldn't inspire people. It happens in the real world with plenty of terrible people. However, they could have gone about it differently since Christopher Nolan didn’t want his iconic Joker referenced or used.
The Musical
If you don’t like musicals, you won’t like this movie. If you do like musicals…you probably still won’t like this movie. Other than Lady Gaga, the singing wasn’t good. And not because Phoenix isn’t a singer. It’s just poorly done and not placed in a way where it makes sense or that you’d care.
There were a couple of well-placed and wonderful musical numbers like “The Joker is Me” and Fleck and Lee running out of Arkham. But it’s later followed up with putting a Sonny and Cher Show impression that came out of nowhere and didn’t fit the moment. If Lady Gaga wasn’t in these songs, everything about this “musical” would be awful.
Again, this writer is trying to be as nice about this as possible. No one should go into this project looking for something as great as Chicago, Across the Universe, or South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Nevertheless, you’d hope that there would be some resemblance to a musical.
The judge and the officer
The judge (played by Bill Smitrovich) and correction officer Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) were amazing. The judge was a no-nonsense authority figure but didn’t come off as stiff. He perfectly balanced Fleck’s shenanigans by maintaining the seriousness needed in the movie and the court.
Meanwhile, Jackie may have been the second-best character in the movie. Unlike most of the Arkham guards, Jackie treated Arthur with respect and got him privileges he didn't have while keeping the line between guard and inmate clear. That’s why he was disappointed when Fleck talked bad about him. Berating him and killing an inmate was uncalled for, but you couldn’t help but understand Jackie's pain.
Grade: C-
There is a lot to dislike in Joker: Folie a Deux and it could be a waste of two hours in your day. However, if you have the time, it’s worth watching to judge for yourself. This writer will say this, it could have been a good movie.
There’s no doubt that Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga could have been good versions of Joker and Harley Quinn and that’s part of the problem. This should have been an amazing project. Maybe even a wonderful musical with Gaga blowing people's minds with her award-winning voice. Yet, we’re stuck with a poor follow-up to a project that people enjoyed. It’s disappointing, but not completely awful.
Did you enjoy Joker: Folie a Deux? Have you seen it and wish you hadn't? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.