October 7, 2024 · Watch the official trailer
Todd Phillips had established himself as simply a comedy director until 2019 when seemingly out of nowhere his exceptionally chaotic comic-book character study “Joker” went on to earn 11 Oscar nominations including a best acting win for Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.
Meant as a standalone film, “Joker” was a breath of fresh air in a relatively stale genre, grounding a villain in new and unique ways never intended to be replicated.
But as Hollywood always seems to find a way, a continuation of the original story debuted in theaters this past weekend with “Joker: Folie à Deux” taking a decidedly different approach to furthering the world of Arthur Fleck and his titular alter ego.
“Folie à Deux” finds Phoenix’s Arthur in prison two years after the events of the first film awaiting a highly publicized trial when an unexpected encounter with a female resident at the asylum he’s housed in turns into a theatrical love affair that changes and colors Arthur’s perspective on the world.
Phoenix is more muted, grounded, and centered compared to the often manic psychosis he displayed on his way to an Oscar back in 2019 and his introspective, nuanced work does come through in “Folie à Deux.” Limitations the story places on Arthur, however, do severely inhibit Phoenix’s ability to shine in the same ways.
This isn’t to say that the character work is any less than masterful. In spite of the constant, foreboding violence surrounding him, Phoenix has the ability to draw audiences in almost to the point of rooting for Arthur’s success despite the unspeakable acts he’s accused of.
Academy Award nominee Lady Gaga is brilliant in a largely underutilized turn as Arthur’s love interest Lee, meant to be the classic Batman villain Harley Quinn and “Folie à Deux” is less an origin story for that character, rather a means to which Phillips and Phoenix can explain and display a pseudo-healing of Arthur’s psyche that Lee’s affections bring.
While several musical numbers showcase Gaga’s exceptional singing talents, it’s in the character work that she truly excels with a raw, almost visceral hue to her vocal work.
The ways she subverts audience expectations outside of the fantastical theatrics Phillips dreams up for Arthur and Lee create this sense of unease and highlight how much Lee reveres the version of Arthur she’s dreamed up in her head rather than adoration of the actual man, which feels strikingly similar to the followers pulled into Charles Manson’s cult.
Brendan Gleeson also gives a strong turn as the lead guard in Arthur’s prison block and there’s a brash contrast between the inhumanity his Jackie shows in response to the criminals around him against the softer, almost forgiving kindness he occasionally displays to keep his inmates in line.
Phillips does a solid job balancing the separate worlds of “Folie à Deux” from prison life to larger Gotham City to numerous courtroom scenes and the staging is well conceived, however, the integration of fantasy musical elements ripped from a “That’s Entertainment!” homage to 60s-70s pop culture tells a vastly separate story that doesn’t entirely link into Arthur’s primary psychological journey.
Fans of the original “Joker” may scoff at the billing of “Folie à Deux” as a musical, which could more aptly be called a dark variety show. The focus isn’t on the singing nor the story a placeholder to bridge song to song, rather the music is a part of Arthur’s fragile psychosis.
Phillips might have been the right person to evoke 70s crime drama for the original, but this iteration needed a different approach to make things spark.
Unlike its predecessor, “Folie à Deux” won’t receive the same acclaim that its predecessor did come award season though many of the film’s technical elements could rightfully be nominated again as the brilliance of Lawrence Sher’s cinematography, costuming by Arianne Phillips and production design all merit serious consideration.
Moviegoers looking for an extension of “Joker” will be mildly disappointed with “Folie à Deux”, but more openminded cinephiles willing to let the bizarre nature of Phillips’ vision play out may actually find the sequel worth a trip to cinemas.
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