Film fans excited for Joker: Folie à Deux, a follow-up to the 2019 Oscar-winning megahit Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix as the famous DC comics villain, are likely expecting another crime thriller and character study with a splashy, violent twist.
Well, guess what? The joke’s on you!
Co-writer and director Todd Phillips, returning from the first film (and best known for The Hangover movies) has upended every expectation and boldly turned chapter two into a musical courtroom drama that’s as technically excellent as it is stupendously boring.
Despite having great costumes, music, cinematography and great skill from the cast and crew, the dumb plot and slogging exposition all amount to such a pathetic ending that you’ll likely leave Folie à Deux horrendously disappointed.
The movie is genuinely artful, interesting, and unique with a clear directorial vision. There’s endless style and artistry in telling the Arthur Fleck (aka Joker) story and the imbalance of his mind.
Yet for all the style, the stakes of what happens to Arthur are often sidelined for…well, more stylish presentation. At some point, the story and what the script is trying to communicate need to be clearer and more substantial.
Joker 2’s great folly is the story has painfully slow pacing, and it feels like a arduous eternity before anything interesting actually happens. Even worse, the culmination of all that waiting is woefully anti-climactic.
Worse still, the film’s grossly misleading marketing betrays the audience’s trust. For several months, trailers have promised a large-scale crime epic with grand action and musical scenes, and the actual film (at nearly two and a half hours!) offers neither.
Instead, the story and its settings are surprisingly intimate. Why this was filmed for IMAX or promoted as worthy of big-screen production values is beyond understanding; almost 90 per cent of the film is set in prison common areas or the same, average-sized courtroom.
For all the script and concept’s letdowns, there are some highlights. The leading cast is all deeply committed to the product, and are grounded to the human grit of their re-envisioned “Batman” characters. Phoenix and Gaga are both skilled actors, and supporting players like Catherine Keener and Leigh Gill steal their scenes.
Maybe most surprising is that the film’s musical aspect is effective and no mere gimmick. The music is meant to showcase the imaginings and hopes of Arthur’s mind, and it’s the only real element of theatricality in an otherwise empty plot.
I really liked “The Mountain” sequence in the jazz club and Phoenix’s version of “The Joker” from an obscure 1965 stage play The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd. Unfortunately, there’s just too many songs for it to stay impactful, so the device is overused - and the other songs are mostly forgettable.
Overall, the small glimmers of smart storytelling aren’t enough reason to see Joker: Folie à Deux. As a sequel, it abandons most of what the first movie built, and it’s confidence to be different overshadowed the need for an exciting story.
Phillips is known for messing with a good thing. He had the same misunderstanding of how to evolve a movie when The Hangover Part II opened back on Victoria Day weekend in 2011. That franchise also saw another well-liked film ruined by a substantially messier part two.
Folie à Deux is a cruel mess that will leave you with a lingering emptiness and bewildering sadness. At my screening, I think the audience member who enjoyed himself the most was the one a few seats to my left - who fell asleep halfway through and had a nice nap until the credits rolled.
The Snapshot: Despite great talent in front of and behind the camera, Joker 2’s story is endlessly dull, dreary and slow. It’s the most disappointing movie of 2024.
Joker: Folie à Deux
4 out of 10
14A, 2hrs 18mins. Musical Crime Drama.
Co-written and directed by Todd Phillips.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz.
Now Playing at Silver City Burlington, Landmark Cinemas Jackson Square, Cineplex Ancaster
