by Jason Mack, Contributing Writer
Perhaps I’ve developed folie à deux with Todd Phillips, because I am among the minority who enjoyed a lot of what Joker: Folie à Deux had to offer.
It’s amazing what an impact the concept of perception versus reality can have on a movie. The buildup to Folie à Deux was all about how it couldn’t possibly be good, but would be fun to watch burn (a very Joker mentality), and the early reactions and box office were dreadful.
So I approached it with zero expectations for quality and just wanted to enjoy the experience, and see what Joaquin Phoenix literally dreamed up. I came away impressed.
The best comparison I can come up with for the negative reaction is the vitriol Star Wars: The Last Jedi received. People were so eager for the return of Luke Skywalker, and seeing him turn his back on the Force had many turning their back on the franchise. This was despite the philosophical change being perfectly logical based on Luke’s experiences over the years. Now mind you, Luke wasn’t breaking into song like on the classic Simpsons episode, but the core concepts hold true.
Joker: Folie à Deux feels like more of the same. People expected the movie to showcase Phoenix continuing Arthur Fleck’s descent into the madness of becoming Joker, and teaming up with Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel, to wreak havoc on Gotham. Because it delivered something different, it was rejected.
Just like Luke believably turning his back on the Force, I think Folie à Deux delivers a logical tale of what happens after the first movie. Joker was all about Arthur struggling with mental health issues and being beaten down, ignored, and tossed to the side by both the system and society as a whole. He finally got the attention he craved, and it didn’t end up fulfilling him the way he’d hoped. He instead internalized and hid from that attention, embracing again his identity as Arthur.
What Phillips and Phoenix deliver in the sequel is a stimulating look at how a mentally ill person would cope and reason with what they did during incarceration. Arthur uncovers his true feelings and comes to grips with his actions. Sure, its pacing is slow at times, and it’s not a wild action ride of him and Lee brutalizing Gotham, but that’s never what these movies were about.
The implementation of the jukebox musical idea also tracks. The first movie featured Arthur’s obsession with becoming a comedian because he idolized talk show host Murray Franklin. His delusions all centered around wanting to be like him, and to have everyone love him and laugh with him like they did with Murray. The musical element fits the same motif. He met Lee in a music class, and she became his new obsession and escape. So of course his delusions would shift into singing.
For the most part, the musical elements are handled well. Several of them adeptly highlight Arthur’s emotional journey, along with his insanity. I do wish the film had gone a little bigger and crazier with the numbers, both in terms of song selection and set design, but they all look and sound nice, and many still center around the talk show delusions Arthur clings to.
Speaking of the music, Lady Gaga is a highlight of the movie as a whole. Lee is underutilized, which her name already suggests, as the movie refuses to go full Harley, both in spirit and in name. But what it allows her to do, she excels with. Lee is a perfect conduit for seeing the obsession the outliers of society had with Joker and the movement he inspired. She brings a unique blend of mania mixed with control and composure.
Phoenix also shines yet again. His ability to emote so much by expressing so little is fascinating. He makes you feel the contemplation and reflection within Arthur.
It would have worked much better to present this movie as Joker on Trial, rather than Joker: Folie à Deux. The courtroom scenes are compelling, and the idea of making this insanity plea via dissociative identity feels authentic. The courtroom also features easily the best scene of the entire movie, with Leigh Gill returning as Gary Puddles. His portrayal of PTSD from witnessing one of Arthur’s murders in the first move is heartbreaking. Also moving is Arthur’s reaction to seeing the effect he had on his friend. It perfectly sells the core conceit of the entire movie.
Brendan Gleeson also deserves credit for a charismatic role as a corrupt asylum guard who seems to genuinely enjoy having Arthur around, even if it mostly is to mess with him. And Harry Lawtey isn’t given much to do as Harvey Dent, but he has the attorney side of the equation down, and I would enjoy seeing what he could do with the other half.
I won’t spoil anything here, but I’ll just say the final scene of the movie does feel a bit like forced end credits. I don’t know if that was intended to appease the fans or to deliberately troll them. The overall idea of how it concludes makes sense, but the way it goes down was far too on the nose, or more accurately on the Glasgow smile.
Perhaps an entire movie forgoing the Lee plot line and the musical elements in favor of a courtroom drama would have worked better. Perhaps a full-on Bonnie and Clyde musical with Joker and Lee on the run would have been better. We will never know, but I enjoyed the odd, introspective tale that made the screen. Am I in a folie à deux with anyone else, or is that just me?
Rating: Liked It
Joker: Folie á Deux is currently playing in theaters
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