Director Todd Phillips has brought back his unconventional take on the Joker with the musical “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The sequel to 2019’s “Joker," it saw Joaquin Phoenix reprise his role as the Clown Prince of Crime, he was joined by his twisted soulmate, Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga.
The movie saw Arthur Fleck, AKA the Joker, on trial for the crimes he committed in the first film. But at the same time, he had fallen in love with fellow Arkham patient Lee Quinzel, AKA Harley Quinn.
Highs
The previous film had excellent cinematography and acting from Phoenix, this sequel having been no exception. The often dark scenery made occasional use of a bright color palette, matching the Joker’s iconic look. Phoenix’s performance also proved great once again, balancing the drama and tragedy of his character.
The costuming was also excellent, especially in regards to Harley’s wardrobe. The film created looks for these characters that emulated their usual appearances, but unique enough to stand out.
Arkham’s dark side was on full display in this film, showing how Gotham’s legal system didn’t want true rehabilitation. This was an unfortunate reflection of how real life justice is often delivered.
Lows
The film’s title translates to “madness of two” in French. One would assume this is referring to both Joker and Harley, suggesting they were equally important. However, this would be a mistake given Harley never once was allowed to be a true character. Rather the madness must have referred to the Joker and the audience who foolishly thought Harley would be a protagonist.
Harley is one of the most interesting characters in the DC mythos. Originally introduced in “Batman: The Animated Series,” Harley was a psychiatrist who fell for her patient, the Joker. She gave up her life as a doctor to pursue crime. She is far more than a love interest for the Joker. She’s a fearsome villain in her own right, a survivor of abuse via her relationship with Joker, and infectiously fun. She’s a fan favorite for a reason.
But this was not the Harley seen in this film. This film’s Harley was a manic pixie dream girl. By making her a patient from the beginning, she lost her riveting arc. Why spend time showing her go mad when she can begin mad? That’s time needed for pointless musical numbers! Never once could she shine, her entire life and personality orbited Joker in a boring relationship, serving his also nonexistent character arc.
Harley and Joker did not even work on a musical level together. Phoenix’s singing was offkey, unpolished, and outright bad, cementing the twistedness of his character. But Gaga’s singing was powerful and beautiful. Now normally Gaga’s talent is welcomed, but it didn’t gel in the slightest with Phoenix, making their duets awkward and the movie’s tone inconsistent. The musical aspect was pointless anyway, the songs didn’t deepen any characters or plot points, they just slowed the pace down.
And like its predecessor, the film’s depiction of mental illness was pointless at best and outright ableist at worst. Both film’s forewent the typically fictionalized version of Joker’s madness for real life mental illness, leading to some stigmatizing implications about mental illness being inherently violent and criminal. The one bright spot of this was at least the film acknowledged the justice system’s issues with rehabilitation, but even then it didn’t say anything particularly deep or provocative.
Verdict
The first “Joker” movie was an imperfect character study. It didn’t quite bridge the gap between the classic villain and Arthur Fleck nor did it have much to say, but at least it actually cared to look into a character. "Joker: Folie à Deux” was a completely pointless addition that failed to let any characters grow, even the titular one.
While both films have missed the point of Joker by giving him an origin, the fact they screwed up Harley Quinn is a completely different feat given she had everything needed to make her interesting. For a movie about villain origins, this was a waste of Harley Quinn; for a musical, this was a waste of Lady Gaga; and for the audience, this was a waste of time.
Rating: 3 out of 10.
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for the Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
