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    “Folie à Deux” stars are better than the film

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    While the first Joker asked whether we could have compassion for the devil, the sequel asks whether we’re willing to watch him fall in love, go through emotional struggles, and also put on a show.

    “Joker: Folie à Deux” (★★½ out of four; rated R; in theaters Friday), once again co-written and directed by Todd Phillips and taking bigger swings than its bold 2019 predecessor, was nominated for best picture was nominated and achieved the highest grossing R-rated film in history until Deadpool and Wolverine teamed up. There’s even its own dynamic duo: Joaquin Phoenix’s tortured Joker finds a soul mate in Lady Gaga’s electric version of Harley Quinn.

    Not everything is buzzing around them, as the sullen and distracted but still well-acted “Folie à Deux” tries to be a prison drama, courtroom thriller and supervillain musical all at the same time. When Gaga plays old-school pop standards and Phoenix tap-dances like a madman, at least one of those aspects definitely works.

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    It’s been two years since failed party clown/comedian Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) became something of a “folk hero” in Gotham City by donning garish face paint and being imprisoned in Arkham State Hospital for five murders (including blowing away a deceased man). became. Night presenter on live television). TV movies and books have kept his legend alive outside the prison walls, but inside, the grim and emaciated Arthur has lost his trademark cackle. He listlessly takes his medication and is hunted by the mockingly cheerful prison guard Jackie (Brendan Gleeson) to tell jokes.

    Arthur’s highly anticipated trial is about to begin, and with the state pursuing the death penalty, his lawyer (Catherine Keener) wants to mount an insanity defense and argue that these murders were committed by a “Joker personality” and not Arthur . His mind is more interested in matters of the heart: In music therapy in Arkham, he meets Lee Quinzel, a disturbed songbird who set fire to her parents’ home and is a huge Joker fan. She tells Arthur that after watching him kill a man on national television, “I didn’t feel so alone anymore.”

    As in the first film, Arthur has showbiz fantasies on his mind, but now he duets with Lee on songs like the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody.” The two also have a musical connection in his real life and gently whisper the lyrics “Get Happy” to each other. She is released from the minimum security station to escape his “bad influence,” but plays an important role when Arthur and her alter ego see their day in court.

    Phillips creates a compelling narrative early on, contrasting dark, cruel prison scenes with Arthur finding real happiness for the first time in his life. This momentum comes to a screeching halt once we get to the pretentious proceedings, as the Folie à Deux then turns into an unnecessary retelling of the original film, with certain recurring characters and plot points. It gives Arthur a few moments of genuine remorse, and Phoenix inexplicably channels Foghorn Leghorn when he decides to mount his own defenses.

    That first “Joker” was nihilistic and toxic, although profound in its own psychological way. The sequel is also dark, but also has hope and sweetness at times. This comes from the strong chemistry between Gaga and Phoenix in quiet moments and in energetic song-and-dance numbers as they move through the Great American Songbook and tunes like “The Joker” (the Anthony Newley one, not the Steve one Miller Band) fall). Anyone familiar with Batman comic stories knows that Joker and Harley have their extreme ups and downs, and it’s fun to watch Arthur and Lee’s bad romance come to fruition here.

    While “Folie à Deux” continues the story of Phoenix’s troubled soul with a heightened, even cartoonish quality, Phillips really misses the chance to go all musical and do something truly different. Just throwing yourself into this genre with these strong artists is enough to drive you crazy.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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