“Joker: Folie à Deux” Misses the Jest
Written by: Adam Vaughn | October 3rd, 2024
Joker: Folie à Deux (Todd Phillips, 2024) 2.5 out of 5 stars
I went into Joker: Folie à Deux with the highest of hopes that director Todd Phillips, along with Joaquin Phoenix, would continue to deliver powerful cinematic work with the much anticipated sequel to the 2019 Joker, reinforced by an amazingly versatile Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born). While I found myself entertained and reminded of the themes of the original film, Folie à Deux simply tries too hard to balance multiple ideas, none of which come to full fruition, and so ends in a bit of disappointment.
At its greatest, Joker: Folie à Deux does two things well. One is that it hugs religiously to the first movie’s aesthetic, beginning where it left off with Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) on trial for the murders that took place in the original story. The visuals of the maximum-security prison and the nature of the various characters with whom Fleck interacts (the guards, fellow inmates, etc.) certainly resemble the dreary tone of Joker. Additionally, the trial of “The City of Gotham v Arthur Fleck” leaves for a satisfying finale for Arthur, as he faces the possibility of the death penalty by the prosecutor, a familiar face and a well-utilized character in the Batman lore. In addition, the new film brings back Hildur Guðnadóttir for a score as formidable as before.

Alongside the narrative, Phillips brings in Lady Gaga, who delivers a version of Harley Quinn that fares well alongside Phoenix’s “Joker,” even if Gaga at times works against a somewhat lazy script and character development. Unlike its predecessor, Folie à Deux is in fact a musical, but in its own right it is also one of the most unique musical films ever made. The film is self-aware and uses the music for both subtle instances of insanity between Arthur and “Lee”/Harley, as well as for some grand orchestrated dream sequences reflecting Arthur’s mind as he falls in love for the first time.
The issue with Phillips’ sequel is that it features both these aesthetics and ideas—a very mundane, melancholy world of Gotham that worked so well before versus the new and romantic musical tone—and at no point do they seem to play well with each other. Phoenix’s Arthur/Joker character is thrown in different directions through the writing, and feels less fresh and original than the first time we saw him in 2019. Furthermore, various characters, both new and recurring from the first film, are thrown into scenes, and while many interesting ideas are presented with them, most of these characters and ideas lead nowhere.

In the end, the actual plot feels overly simplistic by the film’s finale, and the love and romance that has led to the ending scenes are abandoned. We are left with two very dissatisfying sequences that seem to want to wrap the film up rather than leave us with a desired conclusion. While those who enjoyed the first Joker will find some engaging elements here, ultimately Phillips tries too hard to raise the bar, resulting in a work that is perpetually fighting itself. While some of it succeeds, the overall film has trouble connecting the dots.