Todd Phillips' shockingly impressive entree into the comic book movie genre laughed in the face of its skeptics who cast doubt on the director of The Hangover tackling such a divisive character such as The Joker. Though upon his second outing with the Clown Prince of Crime, Joker: Folie a Deux is no laughing matter.
As a result of the direct aftermath of Joker (2019,) Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) must stand trial and face punishment for his crimes. While the idea of The Joker advocating for his self-beliefs before the people of Gotham could be interesting, the plot distances itself from what was initially implied. Joker: Folie a Deux insisted that it wanted to be a musical that would hopefully follow the exploits of the Joker and a new Harley Quinn - Lady Gaga. Unfortunately, the most interesting elements of the sequel are trodded down by a barely-moving plot bloated with aimless exposition.
Outside of Harley Quinn's introduction -- who simply goes by "Lee" -- there's extremely little that would constitute for this to be an honest DC-inspired movie. If anything, Phillips is found guilty of his count of murder by slaughtering the quality of his work. Most of Joker: Folie a Deux spends its time recounting the events of Joker. It's a continuation of an origin story that barely seeks justice for its titular character, and completely distances itself from any Batman universe.
There are countless possibilities that Joker: Folie a Deux could have taken itself in, yet feels obliged to rely on its predecessor's source material. For Phillips and company to build towards expanding, they must be prepared to grow. Phillips and his creative team come across as uninspired and undetermined to create a worthwhile sequel that honors the legacy of iconic comic book characters. They've presented a jukebox musical character study that declines to reflect its roots. If Phillips wanted to lean so heavily into the law drama genre, that would have been fine: his approach feels ill-fit and too drawn out for it to play the major such a major narrative role here. Joker: Folie a Deux feels like a completely different movie with an engaging title used to draw in moviegoers and DC fans alike. The madness for two is the madness in two Joker movies. Joker (2019) should have stood alone, or somehow connected to Matt Reeves' The Batman (2021) universe.
That's not to say that Joker: Folie a Deux is a complete joke. While it may be dull, bleak, and depressing, it does offer a strong visual appeal paired with compelling lead performances. Phoenix and Gaga devour every moment of screen time they are given, and the two play well together while exploring alternative versions of long-loved villains. Perhaps they deserved a bit more when it came to the movie's quality, which remains frustratingly disappointing. It's a shame that such outstanding casting choices for Harley Quinn and the Joker are wasted on Warner Bros.' latest cash grab instead of being something more genuine, more honest, and something that wouldn't have been afraid to embrace its superhero-inspired identity.
Joker: Folie a Deux proves that the real clown is in Todd Phillips. 5/10.
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