REVIEW: ‘Joker Folie a Deux’ Is Hollow Attempt At Depth

Joker Folie À Deux is the direct continuation of Todd Phillips’s first film. It focused on Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) after his murder of five (but we know it is six) people. Now institutionalized at Arkham, Arthur is awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. Daily bullying and being forced to exchange jokes for cigarettes with guards who hate him, his life has somehow become sadder. In an attempt to get sent to a much more medically sound ward, Arthur has to be ruled clinically insane.

But while he struggles with his dual identity, no one around him seems to believe. Then, he meets true love; this time, she’s not all just in his head. With a spark of hope, Arthur’s love for Harleen Quinzel, who goes by Lee, keeps him moving forward. Their shared insanity is core to his hope, but will Lee (Lady Gaga) stay by his side even as he begins to understand who he is?

The cast is packed with heavy hitters like Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine Keener. It also features Zazie Beetz and Leigh Gill returning. But it’s not the star power that marks a standout choice for the film. That honor belongs to Joker Folie À Deux’s opening sequence. After five years, it was smart for Phillips to include an opening animation that effectively serves as a recap. It also makes the film something that is easy to walk into if you haven’t seen the previous one. With an art style that captures elements of past WB animations, the way that Phoenix replicates the animation in his bravado as Joker later in the film is perfection.

Additionally, when it comes to its successes, Phillips has a keen eye for location. The film’s locations and sets have a weight to them, even if it’s all just New York instead of the Gotham we understand. Joker Folie a Deux may ping-pong between understanding that it’s in a comic book setting—with Gotham written on cars or the subtle mention of Arkham—and trying to be a New York courtroom drama. Regardless of its refusal to leave its liminal space between the two, the production design and costuming are some of the best.

Joker Folie À Deux’s largest sin is that it does not go far enough. The film gives us musical numbers that start to push boundaries before sinking us back into a courtroom genre that lacks impact. The film continuously feels like it’s building up toward something more but ends with a whimper. Maybe this is Phillips’s attempt to showcase how empty Arthur’s life truly is, but in reality, it’s like watching a balloon pop. It grows into something larger and larger only to be popped out of existence.

By pulling its musical punches, the film doesn’t use Lady Gaga to her full potential. At the same time, her acting is a highlight; it’s hard not to see her pulled back into a shell repeatedly. As Lee, she expands like a bright star and then is pulled back to center, stopping just short of being more than a stunt cast addition to a film that I can’t truly understand that we needed. In addition, Phillips’ version of the iconic Harley Quinn feels too empty to mean anything. While Lee isn’t debilitated by some of the more sexist interpretations of her character, the agency she shows is equally alienating.

Like Gaga, Phoenix’s performance as Arthur Fleck and his adept ability to transform his body and speech to that of Joker is the film’s highlight. His physical acting sometimes outshines his dialogue, and it’s there that the musical numbers can become something truly special. But the number of musical moments that capture the gravitas that Arthur has a Joker are few and far between, never fully taking advantage of Phoenix’s range. Even he, as the film’s protagonist, feels cut too small and short to deliver anything beyond a peep.

This isn’t a critique of the film’s ending, one that may make you question why this film series, but is ultimately delivered with a somber yelp befitting Arhtur’s character. Instead, it’s about everything leading up to it. Joker Folie a Deux limps over its finish line and doesn’t push its audience to understand anything deeper than the surface for any of its characters.

Joker Folie À Deux is beautiful to look at, even with the grime, but it never trusts its actors’ singing chops nor acting depth to truly make something great. Its great actors are held hostage by a narrow narrative, and performers are never given the turns they deserve.

Joker Folie À Deux is in theaters everywhere.