'Joker: Folie à Deux' Brought Madness for Two to Enjoy

Image c/o Warner Bros. Pictures

By Bryce Miller
Entertainment Columnist

Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux captured the flamboyance of Joker and Harley Quinn in the form of a never-before-seen comic-book musical. 

Following the previous movie's events, we see Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) as an inmate in Arkham Asylum, where he meets Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). Like lightning, the two were struck by one another, bringing a romantic yet volatile feeling to what the film has in store. Joaquin Phoenix once again mesmerized the audience with his role as the iconic villain Joker, thrusting his way through the movie with his singing and dancing, as well as keeping the audience guessing as he experiences his periodic psychotic episodes. 

At the same time, Lady Gaga’s portrayal of the fan-favorite Harley Quinn hit fans like a storm with her chaotic choices, made only to make it clear to Joker that she loves him. Throughout the film, we see many different musical numbers made to highlight the moods that both Joker and Lee are experiencing. This kind of emotional flamboyance we see from both characters provides a sweet yet violent romantic feeling to the audience. 

When thinking about Todd Phillips’ filmography, Joker: Folie à Deux presents a new style to the writer/director. Each of them has their own flamboyance, but they’re also dramatic and funny, keeping the fans guessing as to what is going to happen next. Seeing this movie as a musical made fans very disappointed, due to the purpose of the film which is to capture the early life of the Joker in a psychologically thrilling manner.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has experienced criticism both critically and commercially, potentially because it was not marked properly as a musical, especially because the first film did not exhibit any of the musical elements that are present in the second film. Many fans were expecting another psychologically thrilling story that was going to keep us guessing at every turn. Instead, they got a psychologically thrilling musical that was suspenseful but not as much as the original. 

Personally, I enjoyed the film, the story was well constructed, and the actors played their characters incredibly well. The one consistent aspect of the film that most fans and I are disappointed by is the fact that they made the movie into a musical. It wasn’t something that fans were expecting or were happy about, and it tended to make the film seem like the story was going by a lot slower. 

Something that also wasn’t expected about the film was that it almost entirely took place in a prison. Most fans were expecting a lot more action and environmental changes, but none of that happened as much as it was expected to in this film. 

While most fans are not thrilled by the fact that this movie is a musical, some fans who appreciate the work that was put into the production and the choreography in the film seem to enjoy it. If you enjoy musicals I highly recommend that you see this movie.
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