Joker: Folie a Deux

This weekend, Joker: Folie a Deux, the sequel to 2019's Joker, releases in theaters. Joker: Folie a Deux follows Arthur Fleck as he goes on trial for the murders he committed in the original film. While awaiting trial, he meets fellow inmate Harleen Quinzel and the two develop a romance. I thought the original movie was very well done. When I heard this one would be a musical, I was very intrigued.

Joker: Folie a Deux was a very complicated movie for me. I can appreciate that it went for some big swings but I'm not sure it was good enough to justify its existence. I liked that this movie is a clear continuation of the events of the first film. We can see Arthur being affected by the consequences of his actions as well as his impact on Gotham society. Joaquin Phoenix is as good as ever as Arthur Fleck as he recaptures the energy of his Oscar-winning performance. I thought that Lady Gaga was a solid addition to the story. Along with A Star is Born, this movie shows that she has what it takes to be a great actress. She does a great job of capturing this slightly unstable woman who is obsessed with the idea of Joker. I thought the musical aspects were all very well done. I don't know why the filmmakers denied that this was a musical when it very clearly is. I thought all of the songs fit well into the story and helped progress the plot along. Making this film a musical was a bold choice but I respect it and thought it worked well. I also thought the movie did an effective job of pulling inspiration from multiple genres. While the original film was heavily influenced by Taxi Driver, I thought this film had a lot of influence from One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as well as pulled in elements from various courtroom genres and romantic movies.

While there are a lot of positive elements to this movie. I'm not sure if this story really needed to be told. It doesn't have a strong message like the first movie did about mental health. This movie feels more like an epilogue to tie up loose ends than it does a natural sequel. I also felt like the setting itself was a bit restrictive to the Joker character. Arthur Fleck doesn't have as much of an opportunity to do his "Joker Stuff" as he is contained in an Asylum for the majority of the film. I wish we could've gotten more time with the Harley Quinn character. I thought that she was the best part of the movie and should have been more central to the story. Finally, I don't think the movie totally stuck the landing. I didn't really care for the direction they took things in the last 20 minutes of the film.

In the end, this is a movie that gives a lot to process but I am still unsure how I totally feel about it. I think it was good but am not sure if it was good enough to justify its existence.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Check it out if you liked the first film.