Joker: Folie à Deux

by Philip Price

Photo: Warner Bros.

Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga & Brendan Gleeson
Rated: R (some strong violence, language, some sexuality & brief nudity)
Runtime: 2 hours & 18 minutes

 
They say the art of originality is knowing how to hide your sources, but if you saw the first ‘Joker’ film, you know writer/director Todd Phillips has no qualms about sharing his sources.
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Interestingly enough, it would seem that Phillips' foray into the world of his titular character was based not only on making something in the vein of some of his inspirations but also on telling a story of inspiration itself while somehow crafting a film that doesn't feel the least bit inspiring.

"They" AKA Shakespeare also stated that “all the world's a stage,” and it is this divide within the psyche of our main character who so badly desires to be the center of attention - the main character of his own story if not others as well - yet is unable to necessarily stand out without doing something drastic that hangs over Phillips' follow-up. It is this coming to terms with his actual mediocrity that pains Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck to the extent he doesn't know which side of himself to turn to in the aftermath of killing five people (actually six) - one of which was live on national television. As lost as Fleck seems, the same could be said for “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to the billion-dollar-earning and Oscar-winning 2019 film, at least over its first hour. 

On the one hand, Phillips is keen on making a film that subverts expectations and doesn't allow itself to fall into any trappings audiences might expect from a typical sequel. The desire to subvert going so far as to cause the filmmaker to claim this is a musical, but this is true only in so far as the characters sometimes burst into sing-songs that further highlight their emotions in ways intended to deepen our understanding of these aforementioned psyches yet these moments never transcend the reality or develop into full-on musical numbers. The splitting of hairs between avoiding the obvious path of a ‘Joker’ sequel and committing to being something else entirely gives the result an unbalanced feeling, as if the ambition and desire are present but the passion to execute is not. Somehow, this identity crisis becomes the main text of the film, which is an interesting idea, yet in addition to feeling unbalanced, the film becomes a tedious experience where the overarching intent is never quite clear. The film even goes so far as to acknowledge how much the Arthur character wanted to do what the audience expected him to do, for him to give them the Joker they're begging for, but instead simply admits he could no longer carry on the facade, essentially coming clean about his state of mind during the murders and how desperate he is to begin anew - conveying to the audience and more specifically, the fanbase, that they may want to do the same. Admirable, bold even, but not always entertaining.
 
Speaking of entertainment, the idea of this being a full-on musical feels more like a bit after having seen the film, though not one the film nor Phillips was necessarily committed to. Was he simply trying to provoke a fanbase known for getting up in arms about the slightest interpretation changes to their holy canon? Possibly, but the casting of Lady Gaga would suggest he was willing to take the bit pretty far. Also implying a fondness for the melodic is Phillips' choice to have Vincente Minnelli's 1953 film “The Bandwagon” seemingly serve as a prime source of inspiration (his relationship with sources does, in fact, continue here). That film, starring Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire, was about an aging movie star uncertain of his future who teams up with a top ballerina to headline a new Broadway musical, but the pretentiously artistic goals of its director threaten to change it beyond recognition. In other words, don't fret if you feel called out by ‘Folie à Deux’ because Phillips is making fun of himself too. Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver specifically use the "That's Entertainment!" number from that film to both imbue a sense of that era of backlot movie musicals onto their production but mainly utilize it to highlight (and dismiss) that much of what Fleck's doing is “just a performance” and that he, more than anyone around him, sees all of it as if “it’s all theater” as he genuinely gets upset should anyone attempt to make it about themselves, taking the spotlight away from him. Ultimately, the crux of the film is Arthur finally having to accept his place in the society that bred him. Despite the slight glimmer of hope offered here, Fleck is not dealing in reality as reality is forcing him to come to terms with the fact those professing their adoration for him are doing so for Joker and not Arthur Fleck. In an even more depressing turn, by giving up the fantasy that is the Joker character, he realizes that a slight glimmer of hope wasn't the exception but the definition of the rule. 

If Phillips were going to paint this as a musical and cast Lady Gaga as one of the two leads, though, it would feel like a missed opportunity not to go big or go home, as, unfortunately, ‘Folie à Deux’ just hangs around.

While the opening Warner Bros. cartoon is a fun idea and more or less sets up that aforementioned central text/internal conflict, it was a mistake not to intro with a huge song and dance sequence in the vein of those golden Hollywood-era productions it's drawing (some kind) of inspiration from. This would have both given the audience a particular set of expectations immediately as well as standards for the film itself to sustain throughout, but given the film is actively trying to defy every possible expectation every possible viewer could have, nothing - especially the musical sequences - go nearly as big or as ballsy as they should. Are the breaks from the bleakness welcome? Sure, but only Phoenix’s courtroom performance of a song aptly titled “The Joker” hints at what could have been as this idea that the Joker of this film is relegated mainly to Fleck's subconscious dreams and/or fantasy sequences and doesn't make an appearance in the actual reality of this film until well past the hour mark comes to feel more like a scapegoat than a storytelling choice. 

Though Lady Gaga's Lee Quinzel enters the picture almost immediately, her increased presence in Arthur’s life cracks the code on how much of a martyr Fleck is being positioned as and how much of a monster the people and the system that failed him are. At first glance, Phillips and Silver's screenplay seems to suggest that at the heart of even the worst of humanity are people who want to feel special, if not loved, primarily by at least one other person who understands and supports them in the deepest, most meaningful of ways. After Fleck's childhood and the treatment, he received from his mother, Arthur is thrilled to encounter someone who is not only infatuated with him but who openly declares she would do anything for him. Much like with the story here, it seems this relationship would take on more depth as it continues, yet sometimes, the longer we know people, are conditioned to their ways, and become accustomed to them being around, the less special they begin to feel. The initial period of a relationship when feelings are intense, and the person you're falling for is more an idealized entity than a real human being is what is commonly referred to as the "honeymoon phase" and applies to ‘Folie à Deux’ because such feelings are what make up the entirety of Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship in this film. While the execution of the musical numbers is underwhelming, the characterization of this relationship is most disappointing. How the film posits the dynamic is not the issue - it’s a real connection, love even, that makes Fleck hopeful and gives him the sense of purpose he's been searching for - but instead, it is how transparent Lee's intentions are, and in many ways how predatory they seem (which are surely present to reinforce who the real monsters of the piece are) yet for all the thematic heavy-lifting this relationship is meant to do to get Fleck from where he begins to where the film ends, there is never a sense these two people could build that mountain together - not even when starting with a hill.

It's hard not to make this sound like a dreadful experience, and while it certainly isn't enjoyable, it has its redeeming qualities that at least make it a fascinating case study of playing by your own rules. Phillips is a director I've always appreciated, likely because of my age and the kinds of movies he made in my teens and into my early 20s. His somewhat smug and sadistic sense of humor that made his characters always seem as if they were looking down on you for not taking the same kind of pleasure in the dirty jokes and vulgar acts they enjoyed participating in will always resonate with certain sections of the youth, and Phillips was able to tap into that for a large swath of an entire generation. On top of that, it didn't hurt he has this pristine sense of style and atmosphere that elevated his comedies from low-brow, middle-of-the-road comedic vehicles to art pieces with more of a twisted sensibility than one might expect. A callous, perverted sense of humor is exactly the type of personality one would seemingly need to craft a standalone ‘Joker’ film and his 2019 original created this mythic tale around how a disturbed individual, in the right set of circumstances, might be inspired to become what he believes necessary to remedy others from those same, undesirable circumstances. This recognizable IP and infamous villain transformed into an epic fable when paired with his visual stylings and Hildur Guðnadóttir's score. 

If there is a single reason to seek out this sequel in the largest format possible, it is for some of the genuinely incredible imagery Phillips and cinematographer Lawrence Sher have composed (a lot of extended takes with hypnotizing camera movements) that, again, when paired with Guðnadóttir's score, give way to immediate chills. Despite the inspirations not being as populist or recognizable this time, the source texts reveal themselves and clarify that Phillips and Co. didn't have as much of a handle on how best to interpret despite knowing where they wanted to take the character. My favorite moments of the film are when Arthur laughs at inappropriate times along with some of his expressions/reactions to different witness statements, while the centerpiece Joker scene in which he questions Leigh Gill's Gary Puddles functions as the catalyst it is intended to yet ultimately feel too little too late in a film whose pacing is its enemy. 

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is not as consistent as its predecessor but is still interesting enough in both the familiar turf it treads and the bold swings it takes that it can't help but provoke admiration for its ambition, even when it's not always satisfying.