If the first “Joker” asked if we could empathize with the devil, the sequel asks if we’re ready to watch him fall in love, have his emotions wringed out and put on a show. Masu.
Joker: Folie à Deux, again co-written and directed by Todd Phillips (1/2 out of 4, rated R, released in theaters Friday), was nominated for Best Picture and became the highest-grossing film ever. This landmark R-rated film sees Deadpool and Wolverine team up, making even more changes than its bold 2019 predecessor, which chronicled the team-up of Deadpool and Wolverine. Unique dynamic duos also appear, as Joaquin Phoenix’s tormented Joker finds his soulmate in Lady Gaga’s electric rendition of Harley Quinn.
Not everything is humming around them, and brooding, distracting and well-acted, “Folie à Deux” is part prison drama, part legal thriller, part supervillain musical. trying to do both at the same time. At least one of these aspects definitely works, with Gaga belting out old school pop standards and Phoenix tap-dancing like crazy.
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Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a failed party clown and comedian, wears garish face paint and is locked up in Arkham State Hospital for five murders (including a belated one), becoming a kind of posse of Gotham City. Two years have passed since he became a “hero”. host of the live broadcast night). Television movies and books keep his legend alive outside prison walls, but inside, a gloomy and emaciated Arthur has lost his signature laugh. He listlessly takes his medication and is stalked by Jackie (Brendan Gleeson), a teasing and cheerful prison guard, trying to get him to tell jokes.
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Arthur’s long-awaited trial is about to begin, and as the state seeks the death penalty, his lawyer (Catherine Keener) launches an insanity defense, suggesting that the Joker’s “personality” and not Arthur was responsible for these murders. I would like to claim that there is. His mind becomes more interested in matters of the heart. During music therapy at Arkham, he meets Lee Quinzel, a disabled songbird and Joker fan who sets his parents’ apartment on fire. She tells Arthur that after watching him kill a man on national television, she “no longer feels alone.”
As in the first film, Arthur has showbiz fantasies in his head, but this time he’s shown duetting with Lee on songs such as the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody.” The two have a musical connection in real life, gently whispering the lyrics to “Get Happy” to each other. She is released from a minimum security ward to keep her away from his “bad influence”, but plays a key role in Arthur and her alter ego getting their day in court.
Phillips crafts a compelling story early on, contrasting the rough and cruel prison scenes with Arthur finding true happiness for the first time in his life. Its momentum comes to a screeching halt when it reaches a flashy trial, after which “Folie à Deux” turns into a needless retelling of the original film, with certain characters and plot points returning. It gives Arthur a moment of actual repentance and inexplicably induces Foghorn Leghorn when the Phoenix decides to mount its own defense.
The first “Joker” tended to be nihilistic and toxic, albeit with deep psychological aspects of its own. The sequel is also dark, but at times there is hope and sweetness. It features Gaga and Phoenix in quiet moments and energetic song-and-dance numbers, singing songs such as The Great American Songbook and “Joker” (Anthony Newley’s song, not the Steve Miller Band). Born from a strong affinity. ). Anyone familiar with Batman’s comic book lore knows that the Joker and Harley have had their extreme ups and downs, but here it’s fun to see Arthur and Lee’s badass romance come to fruition.
“Folie à Deux” takes on a lofty, even cartoonish quality as it continues the story of Phoenix’s tortured soul, but Phillips goes fully musical and does something truly different. A real missed opportunity. Just stepping into this genre with such strong performers is mind-boggling enough.