This musical-inspired sequel lacks the make-up of the first movie.
The first “Joker” from 2019 gave Joaquin Phoenix his first Oscar win as Arthur Fleck, a mentally disturbed man, who transitions into the Clown Prince of Crime, known as the Joker. I loved that film for the way it took a different direction to the DC villain by expressing its views on mental illness, its inspiration from “The King of Comedy,” and its representation of violence and hatred.
So, we get a sequel with the subtitle “Folie a Deux,” which is French for “madness for two,” and is defined by Wikipedia as “a psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a delusional belief are “transmitted” from one individual to another.” It also means that the Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn is the co-star of the sequel, and she’s played here by Lady Gaga.
This time, using inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s “One from the Heart,” this sequel plays like a musical with cover versions of “Get Happy,” “For Once in My Life,” “Bewitched,” “That’s Entertainment,” and “I’ve Got the World on a String,” among others. Now, directed once more by Todd Phillips, this sequel still looks great with some of the numbers and its grim look on New York City in this universe (too many Batman worlds to stay focused on), but somehow, I felt it has developed cynicism as the story continues and lacks the kind of punch and blows that made the first film memorable.
When we last saw Arthur, he was institutionalized at Arkham Asylum for the murders he’s committed, including the TV host Murray Franklin. When we now see him, he’s bullied by the head guard Jackie (Brandon Gleeson)-so I guess you could say he’s Jackie Gleeson-has developed a cult following for his infamous work, and is often visited by his lawyer (Catherine Keener), who believes he should be treated in a better hospital for his illness.
The romance begins when he meets Harley, who resides on the other side of Arkham, and shares his hatred for bad parenting and passion for entertainment and insanity. And the trial begins, when Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) suggests he’d be given the death penalty for his crimes. So, we get Harley and the fans on the defendant side, and the judge (Bill Smithrovich) warning Arthur that this isn’t a comedy club and he isn’t on stage.
You also get a televised interview between Arthur and the movie’s Geraldo-Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan)-which reminds us a bit on that interview scene in “Natural Born Killers,” but lacks the intensity and study of that film. As Woody Harrelson said: “It’s pretty hard to beat the king.”
On Max, we have “The Penguin,” spun off from Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” and having Colin Farrell reprise his role as the title villain who is poised to become Gotham City’s new kingpin. So far, I think it’s a gripping and wildly entertaining series that I think has “Sopranos” overtones and a “Once a Time in America” scope.
In theaters, we have “Joker: Folie a Deux,” which is poised to bring in people who want to see if the stakes are higher now that Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is in the mix and it shares its passion for classic movie musicals. It starts off in the tradition of a “Looney Tunes” cartoon (reminding me of the failed intro to “Gremlins 2: The New Batch”), continues with Arthur and Harley’s would-be romance and duets, and finishes with too much cynicism and predictable formulas. It ends up becoming disappointing or maybe we saw that coming, considering how difficult it would be making a fresh sequel to an Oscar-winning film. Phoenix was better in the first one, while Gaga doesn’t have the kind of vibe she had in “A Star is Born.”
Earlier this year, we had the brilliant gay DC parody “The People’s Joker,” which had its passion and nostalgia in the right place. And that was a low-budgeted film. “Joker: Folie a Deux” obviously cost more money to make, and it doesn’t deliver the goods. And as you can see, I’m a lot sadder.