When Joker: Folie à Deux was first announced, the excitement and thrills of the first Joker film (2019) came rushing back. Joaquin Phoenix contributed to a paradigm shift of how Joker is shown on the big screen. The menacing Batman villain was mad, in literal terms. The Joker set a high benchmark. Owing to this, it was a given that the expectations would be high. To top it off, Todd Phillips brought in Lady Gaga, an addition that had everyone hyped, especially after A Star Is Born (2018) had proven she was made for the celluloid.
As the two hours 10 minutes movie played out, I found myself shifting my expectations, scene after scene. It wasn’t because of Joaquin or Gaga but because of the uneven written screenplay. Todd Phillips appear to be lost in his newly woven world that it lost the depth on the writing and edit table.
As we already know it, Joker Folie à Deux is set a little time after the horrifying climax of Joker. Locked up in the Arkham Asylum, Arthur manages to tame his Joker side. However, the sinister villain crawls back out of the shadows when he crosses paths with Lee, aka Harley (Lady Gaga). Romance sparks and soon, their love becomes a raging fire, quite literally. As soon as they realise they love each other, a part of the Asylum burns down while Joker and Harley flaunt their new flame to the world.
The film then takes a turn, with the focus oscillating between their love story and Arthur’s trial. Arthur is sentenced to death for murdering five people, as seen in the first film. His lawyer is determined to prove that the murders were done by Joker, Arthur’s split personality, and attempting to prove that he needs special care and not death.
As simple as this sounds, in an attempt to make it an artistic experience, Todd Phillips complicates this with too many ingredients – music, undercooked subplots and even a pregnancy angle. These take the script into different directions but the writing limits to just that. Todd fails to push the envelope to truly explore either the trial in process or the relationship Joker has with Harley.
Let’s look at the music of the film first. To begin with, Joker Folie à Deux did not need to be a grand musical. We see Joker’s musical side emerging from time to time because in his head, but Todd unfortunately goes overboard. So much so that in between an intense trial scene, he decides to add a song. By that time, I was tired! He tries to make an orchestra with Joaquin Phoenix had Lady Gaga. But it fails to truly elevate the film to its glorious best.
Coming to the narration, Todd tries to tell the story through Joker’s perspective. You see him bored in Asylum, finding new lease of life when Lee walks into his life and even reaches his glorious high when he represents himself in the courtroom in the second half. However, due to lack of depth in the writing, Todd never lets you invest in it.
The screenplay also seems unnecessarily stretched. No, the film did not need to be short. Instead, the film should have added a lot more moments, exploring Joker and Harley’s bond. We see them in a new light in the film, with Todd putting an interesting spin on Harley but it is underdeveloped. A few more scenes with Harley in the centre would have helped viewers root for her and fall with her in the climax. And what was that Baghban style climax moment? Musical? Yes. Did it make a difference to the narration, maybe. But it wasn’t impactful.
On the positive front, Joker excels in the acting and cinematography front. Joaquin is back with a bang and it is a treat to watch him juggle between his two personalities. On the other hand, Gaga rules every frame she is in. Even when Joaquin is in the centre, Gaga holds your attention. The casting couldn’t have been better.
Cinematographer Lawrence Sher takes in all that these stars have to offer and turns it into art. The Asylum scenes, especially the ones with the close up shots, are phenomenal. There are scenes that leave you claustrophobic, truly capturing the essence of the Asylum. Although the music became jarring after a point, it wasn’t bad music. The songs were original, creatively shot and well sung by both the stars.
Should you watch Joker: Folie à Deux? Give it a shot for Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix. They’ve truly put their best foot forward.
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