James Berardinelli review - ** out of ***

https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/joker-folie-a-deux

If nothing else, the experience of watching Joker: Folie a Deux argues against its very existence. Sitting in movie theater as this motion picture unspools, one can understand any reluctance director/co-writer Todd Phillips may have had developing it. 2019's Joker not only stands apart from any previous DC Comics-based movie, it stands alone. The entire story is told in that single, two-hour chunk. Folie a Deux functions as an overlong, pretentious coda – a slog that barely advances the narrative while regurgitating elements from the first film. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, which seemed deliciously unhinged in Joker, at times verges on self-parody in the sequel.

I’ll give credit to Phillips for not taking the expected route with Folie a Deux. Outside of the various musical interludes (renditions of 20th century standards), which are mostly fun, this is a nihilistic downer. The first movie was too, but there was a point to Joker and the trajectory was both unexpected and compelling. This movie never stops spinning its wheels with the first half of the film focused on the life in prison of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) and the second half chronicling his Brothers Menendez-inspired “Trial of the Century.” Outside of starting an unlikely romantic relationship with fellow Arkham asylum inmate Lee Quinzel a.k.a. “Harley Quinn” (Lady Gaga), very little happens prior to the film’s midpoint. Thereafter, we get far too much of an unremarkable procedural drama in which far too little happens.

The decision to make Joker: Folie a Deux a quasi-musical is an indication of desperation. The underlying problem faced by Phillips is that, having completed the character arc in Joker, he has nowhere to go. The songs (and dancing) make sense in context. The film is told from Fleck’s perspective and he’s not the most reliable of narrators. He goes on mental flights of fancy. In general, musicals are weird things in the first place but Phillips finds a way to make this element work. It’s pretty much everything else that doesn’t.

One thing I can praise (perhaps the only thing) is Lady Gaga. Her version of Harley Quinn is so different from Margo Robbie’s showier iteration that they hardly seem to be related. This is effectively a completely different individual and Gaga doesn’t take more than a couple of scenes to make Lee Quinzel her own. The character starts out as a kindred spirit to Fleck, becomes his muse and lover, and ends up in a different place. Gaga is fully committed to the performance even though Lee lacks depth and breadth. She is essentially a catalyst – more enabler than partner.

Phoenix has no trouble resurrecting Fleck but many of the tics and traits that made the character seem warped in Joker have lost their power. The actor almost seems to be playing a parody of the person he previously essayed rather than an extension of that maniac. Blame the Box Office Sequel Necessity principal. I can’t imagine many people being satisfied with the ending; it feels a little like a cop-out although I think I understand what Phillips is doing (or at least trying to do).

Back in 2019, I placed Joker on my end-of-the-year Top 10 list. The sequel won’t come anywhere close. Although I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an affront to the original, its pointlessness plays out during every minute it’s on-screen. As an allegory, it’s passable. As a character piece, it’s uneven at best. The musical sequences might make for decent standalone music videos. In the end, I found myself watching from an unengaged perspective, thinking that the movie was way too long for what it was attempting.

I can’t help but wonder whether this might have been a multibillion-dollar prank pulled by Phoenix (who is no stranger to that sort of thing) and Phillips. Knowing that Warner Brothers was desperate for a follow-up, they agreed to do one, then assembled a toxic presentation that will find a way to turn off just about everyone from the casual movie-goer to the devoted fan. It’s hard to imagine Folie a Deux getting better than poor word-of-mouth or having anything resembling “legs.” A quick demise is augured and would be well-deserved.