The first “Joker” was a polarizing film, with strong opinions for and against it. The review on this site, though, came down in the middle. That’s pretty much the same case this time around.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is set two years after the events of the first film. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), whose actions resulted in riots and upheaval after his murders, is now confined to Akrham State Hospital as he waits for his trial to get underway.
Inside, the treatment toward Fleck ranges from admiration to amusement, from the prisoners and guards alike. One fellow inmate in another section, though, Lee (Lady Gaga), is infatuated, and begins a relationship that pushes Fleck even more toward his Joker persona as the trial gets started.
So, let’s address the elephant in the room first. This film isn’t just a sequel, it’s also a musical. For those curious, no, it’s not all music like you’d see in “Les Miserables.” It’s more the type with a song inserted here and there after a set of scenes. Since it was announced and now after it’s release, the response to its status as a musical has been less than positive.
However, to be honest, it’s really not that bad. It’s certainly not a phenomenal musical, as the songs aren’t the most memorable out there, yet they more or less do their job. The songs don’t feel out of place and they work in driving forward the narrative with some flair. The musical moments actually give the movie a weird energy that somehow end up enhancing the picture.
It was an audacious move on the part of Todd Phillips, to break away from the original film in such a big way. It deserves credit, especially since the first movie felt like it was drawing on “Taxi Driver” so much. This film standing on its own felt refreshing.
Another positive this “Joker” follow-up has going for it is its time in court. Full transparency, I’m a sucker for courtroom dramas, and a fairly attention-grabbing one takes place here. Watching the arguments go back and forth all around the Joker persona offers an entertaining intrigue.
While it never reaches the upper echelon of the genre, “Joker: Folie à Deux” works well enough as an entertaining crime drama and trial procedural with a unique twist from the musical. However, the film takes a hit from its third act, which feels rudderless.
The film works fairly nicely in the first two acts, but reaches a point where it seems like Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver didn’t know the direction to bring things home. The final act of the flick is confused, with several developments taking place but never quite building toward something satisfying.
It’s too bad because both lead performers deliver. Phoenix is quite good again as the titular character and Lady Gaga does really solid work, too. The character is different than the Harley Quinn most audiences know and love, but Lady Gaga is on point with this version, balancing the acting and musical needs. Brendan Gleeson is, as usual, good on screen, as well.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is good in the acting department and offers an above average drama through the first half. However, Things begin to decline in the movie’s latter half, ultimately damaging it overall. Like the first movie, this flick comes in closer to the middle if anything, but there’s a feeling the score would be higher if this one stuck a better landing. 2.75 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
Good review. Oh….this movie. I was so hyped to see it, especially after the first film and to have Gaga playing Harley Quinn in it. However, after watching it, I was just massively disappointed with it. It definitely had potential to doing something quite fascinating with the narrative, but it felt rather clunky and tedious. The musical sequences presented well, but were quite superfluous and (to be honest) not that quite memorable. Phoenix and Gaga were good in their roles, but their characters were messy and flat, with their big twist in the end feeling very unsatisfying. All in all, not the worst movie of the year, but definitely the most disappointing one.
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