Film Review: JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (2024): An Intense, Gloomy Sequel with a Lot of Distinct Differences From the Original

Joker: Folie à Deux Review

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Todd Phillips, written by Scott Silver and Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland, Bill Smitrovich, Sharon Washington, Alfred Rubin Thompson, Connor Storrie, Gregg Daniel, Mac Brandt, George Carroll and John Lacy. 

Filmmaker Todd Phillips’ follow-up to 2019’s Joker is a mess but it’s still a very wild ride that is bound to keep audiences watching in disbelief as it reveals crazy plot threads that eventually add up to something moderately substantial. The picture shifts back and forth between imaginary scenes and sequences which are happening in the film’s reality. This makes it a bit different than the first film which played everything straight. The first movie suffered because some of the exaggerated scenes could take the viewer out of the action at certain intervals in that picture. This film finds a solution to that problem: It creates musical interlude scenes that reassure the audience that not everything occurring in the picture is really happening in the film. That was a good choice.

At one point in Joker: Folie à Deux, Arthur Fleck/Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) tells his would-be girlfriend, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), “I don’t want to sing anymore.” This line may serve to foreshadow the fate of the couple but also feels like the wishes of Phillips who has revealed that he may be done with this particular franchise. Still, Phillips pulls out all the stops in the new Joker sequel which pushes the envelope again as the first movie did. Unlike the first film, it is unlikely this new picture will get an Oscar nod for Best Picture, though. It is also noteworthy that the new movie opens with a Looney Tunes cartoon with Joker in the leading role. It’s pretty funny but not necessarily interwoven into the picture successfully with the other material the film highlights.

One stroke of genius in the latest Phillips film is bringing back the infamous staircase which is outside Arthur’s former apartment building. The director uses this staircase to create some wonderfully intriguing images that give the film a very distinct feel and it’s a way to remind viewers of the first movie. In the new film, Arthur Fleck is being defended by Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) who thinks she can get him off with a plan of action that Arthur may not be able to carry out as the film progresses.

Arthur meets Lee when he passes her by at a meeting she’s in. Lee points her fingers to her head and pretends they’re a gun and acts like she is pulling the trigger. Arthur and Lee are kindred spirits who have a lot in common as misfits but Fleck is in a situation where he may be going away for a long time because of the murders he committed in the first picture. The film creates the possibility that they could be lovers and has them sing to each other in musical interludes within the core of the movie. They stand by each other side by side in the fantasy scenes and, in reality, Lee, has some respect for Arthur that could develop into a real relationship if Arthur/Joker plays his cards right.

Judge Herman Rothwax (excellently played by Bill Smitrovich) presides over Arthur’s case and when Maryanne is fired by Arthur, the judge allows Arthur to come to court with his signature make-up on as long as he keeps a professional demeanor in the courtroom. Another portion of the film involves the abuse Arthur endures in prison by the guards and this series of brutal scenes also helps foreshadow a later scenario that occurs towards the end of the picture.

Arthur and Lee don some great, colorful and spiffy costumes in their fantasy scenes together and the musical numbers are, for the most part, done well. Gaga and Phoenix have a good rapport that makes them appeal to viewers but the movie pushes the violence hard in both the fantasy world and the real world of the film. This makes the movie feel unnecessarily over-the-top and the ending is also way too bloody for the taste of most mainstream audiences.

Still, there are some fine scenes. When Arthur is ready to make a speech to defend his behavior, he breaks down in court and that is followed by a terrific slew of action scenes that take Arthur back out of the courtroom for some havoc that may lead him back to Lee who could just be giving up on him.

Joker: Folie à Deux is definitely not upbeat but neither was the first film. Seeing Arthur (as Joker) pound someone’s head at one point in the film is pushing the limits of violence much more than should be expected in a comic book-inspired movie like this one. Phoenix is great when he wants to be, though, and keeps the intensity of his character intact at all times. Lady Gaga’s role could have been bigger but when she’s on-screen, she’s pretty memorable and sometimes great as her character (in the real world and the fantasy world) listens and allows in response to Arthur/Joker’s commentary. Gaga is super talented and this movie suits those talents extraordinarily well.

Phillips under-uses some supporting cast members like Brendan Gleeson but Catherine Keener is surprisingly good in her small role within the film, adding depth to her supporting role along the way. In the end, Joker: Folie à Deux feels fresh and different for a large portion of its running time when compared to the original movie but the ending chosen for the sequel was not the best way to conclude the film unless Phillips really feels this is meant to be the end of this particular spin-off franchise. And, in that case, maybe he didn’t care for Arthur as much as audiences who loved the first film did.

Rating: 6.5/10

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