No one really expected Todd Phillips’ Joker to be as good as it was back in 2019, or to be such a massive financial success with more than US$1 billion worldwide. That being said, many were of the sentiment that the movie didn’t need a sequel, but of course, seeing as this is Hollywood, we’re still getting one. Five years later, Todd Phillips returns with Joker Folie A Deux. Is it a worthy follow-up to one of the biggest comic book movies of all time? Read on to find out.

Turn That Smile Upside Down

What is Joker Folie A Deux, you may ask? Well, Joker Folie A Deux is a mess. It’s a pretentious and overindulgent film that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be, which is the polar opposite of 2019’s Joker. Yes, Joker Folie A Deux is indeed a musical but it’s also a courtroom drama. A musical and a courtroom drama doesn’t sound like a good match, and that’s exactly what happens. Most of the movie’s barebones plot has to do with Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck AKA the Joker meeting Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in Arkham Asylum while also going through his trial in court.

That’s all there is to the movie, but it’s a whopping 2 hours and 18 minutes long. The biggest issue with Joker Folie A Deux is that the majority of the screen time is devoted to the musical sequences. The problem with that is that the musical sequences feel so out of place and unnecessary. I don’t have a problem; in fact, I love musicals like West Side Story, Hamilton and The Greatest Showman. However, I don’t think even musical lovers will be able to enjoy this movie as a musical because of how pointless these scenes feel. Sure, some of them are there to demonstrate how the mind of Arthur Fleck conveys the complex feelings of falling in love, but they’re just too excessively long and again, overindulgent.

The courtroom drama in Joker Folie A Deux can sometimes be exciting, but they’re simply re-treading old and familiar ground by reminding us of what happened in the first movie. That’s another problem with this movie; it seems content with rehashing the first movie’s themes and plot without offering or providing us with anything new or intriguing to justify a sequel. That being said, some of the more effectively dramatic parts of the movie are from the courtroom scenes, especially ones involving characters from the previous movie, such as Leigh Gill reprising his role as Gary Puddles.

As a result of all the mishmash of musicals and courtroom dramas, the pacing of the movie also suffers. It feels plodding and there’s no proper build-up to anything. The climax of the movie comes out of nowhere and not in a good way. In 2019’s Joker, almost everything that happened in the movie led to shocking revelations, twists and finally culminating in that phenomenal finale. Joker Folie A Deux has none of that, and it will never be as close to being as memorable as the first movie.

To give credit where it’s due, the best part and the highlight of Joker Folie A Deux (just as it was in the first movie) is Joaquin Phoenix’s mesmerizing performance as Arthur Fleck AKA the Joker. He looks even more comfortable and natural in the role. This movie also allows him to flex and stretch his acting capabilities even further, with one standout scene where he switches between different accents, from a Southwestern drawl to British and back again to his normal voice almost effortlessly. As for Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, she does the best with the character and she delivers a decent performance but ultimately, the writing lets her down.

Born This Way

Joker Folie A Deux doesn’t know who it’s for. It’s not a good musical, it’s not a good courtroom drama, and it’s definitely not a good Joker movie. The performances and the cinematography are perhaps the only praise-worthy elements of the movie. Oh, and the ending of the movie will definitely prove to be the most divisive and controversial part once the movie releases, mark my words.

FINAL SCORE: 40/100

We attended a press screening of Joker Folie A Deux courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Malaysia. Joker Folie A Deux premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 3 October 2024.