'Joker: Folie à Deux' Impresses Critics

 

Photo by Peter Schad on Unsplash

        At the 2024 Venice Film Festival, with a release date on October 4, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures, 'Joker: Folie à Deux' received predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the sequel to the Oscar winning, 'Joker', Arthur Fleck is awaiting his trial and is being held at Arkham. "While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him." The ensemble cast includes Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Steve Coogan, Jacob Lofland, Harry Lawtey, and Catherine Keener. But what did the critics say?

        Dorian Parks of Geeks of Color praises the film, stating, "In Joker: Folie à Deux, the story picks up two years after the events of the first film, where Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), dressed as the Joker, murdered a talk show host (Robert De Niro) live on television, sparking an uprising throughout Gotham City. Now confined to a psychiatric ward and facing the death penalty, Arthur encounters Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow patient with an unsettling obsession with him—or, more accurately, with his Joker persona." Concluding, "Although Margot Robbie has solidified herself as THE live-action Harley Quinn of the DC universe, Lady Gaga’s depiction in Joker: Folie à Deux is incredibly strong yet drastically different from any iteration of the character we’ve seen before. While Robbie’s Quinn is characterized by her vibrant, chaotic energy and dark humor taking more inspiration from the Batman animated series, Gaga brings a more grounded and stripped-back softness to her role, and a calculated craze behind her eyes."

         Tim Grierson of Screen International was less impressed, stating, "Where the original Joker remains a stunning exception — that rare blockbuster with emotional shading, grownup themes and a genuine sense of grandeur — this sequel fails to stay on the beat."

        Hannah Strong of Little White Lies says, "It begs the question, why is Phillips so reluctant to embrace that the film is a musical? Why not add a little more colour, some flourish to the production design?" Adding, "Gaga’s much-fêted follow-up to her impressive turns in A Star is Born and House of Gucci is a let-down through no fault of her own – the character is hopelessly underwritten, and her musical classics were better executed in her 2014 album with Tony Bennett, ‘Cheek to Cheek’. Although her take on Harley Quinn is barely recognisable from the popular depictions of her as a gum-chewing, fast-talking diamond in the rough, there isn’t any attempt made to replace these characteristics with anything new or interesting. Lee’s role in the narrative is purely to encourage Arthur to embrace his “Joker” persona; she exists purely to be obsessed with Joker, which has always been the least interesting aspect of Harley Quinn’s story despite it being her initial purpose."

       Bill Bria of Slashfilm notes, "It feels remarkably honest and true to itself, demonstrating again that taking such a popular character seriously is nothing to laugh at." Continuing, "while Joker and Harleen "Lee" Quinzel are starring in their very own musical, the rest of "Folie à Deux" concerns Arthur being put on trial for the murders he committed during the first movie. Sure enough, as per a number of high-profile criminal trials over the decades, the proceedings become a media frenzy as cocky young prosecutor Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) attempts to portray Arthur as a competent killer while defense attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) tries to convince the world that Arthur and the Joker are two distinct personalities. In this way, "Folie à Deux" feels like an extension of the first "Joker," even a bit of an extended epilogue, rather than solely its own movie. While the lack of shenanigans happening in Gotham (or anything outside the asylum and courthouse, really) could frustrate some, the film does honor its "part two" status, even returning to some characters and events from the first movie that helps flesh them out better."