Five years after the release of “Joker” on Oct. 4, 2024, Joaquin Phoenix returns to the silver screen, this time with Lady Gaga at his side for “Joker: Folie À Deux.” This entrance into the bleak, dramatic landscape of Gotham finds itself falling into a more upbeat step, due to a change in the structure of the film now creating a jukebox musical.
In addition to the exciting musical antics of the film, leading Lady Gaga also created a concept album “Harlequin,” which is sung entirely as her character in the film, a new rendition of the traditional Harley Quinn: Lee Quinzel.
Different from a soundtrack, Gaga released a full studio cover of 13 songs. However, she leans more into her pop style and doesn’t continue the much raspier voice she uses in the film.
This creates an album that can be enjoyed separately from the movie, possibly appealing to those who enjoy the music of the early decades and Gaga’s deeper vocal sound. With her cover of The Carpenters’ “(They Long to Be) Close to You” as my standout favorite.
A starker difference setting the two films apart is their box office opening, with “Folie Á Deux” failing to produce even half of what its predecessor did — the original film’s opening weekend reached $93.5 million domestically. In comparison, “Folie Á Deux” barely scraped across $40 million for its domestic opening.
The film picks up where the last one left off in 1983, with Arthur Fleck incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital for the murder of five people, with one having been committed on live television. Fleck meets Quinzel after passing by the lighter security ward of the hospital that is hosting a music class.
The class is singing “The Partridge Family” theme song “Come On Get Happy,” settling the viewer into an ironic scene, a group of mentally unwell patients trying to convince themselves to be happy through song.
This first moment of singing is a significant event in the film. While other breakout songs are simply in Fleck’s imagination, leaving him looking a little ridiculous for singing “Someone Who Needs Me” around a room of fellow patients, it is revealed that his performance had not been real.
Not knowing the reality of each scene immediately leaves you also questioning Fleck’s sanity, and is beneficial in moving the story forward.
The film spends the majority of its 138-minute runtime inside Arkham State Hospital or the courtroom. Normally, a movie being longer than 120 minutes leaves me with a wandering eye, and can’t hold my attention for its entirety. Going into this movie I expected that I would struggle to maintain focus, however, this did not end up being a problem for me.
The film’s flow works in its favor, with the placement of each song seeming to strategically keep you drawn in when the scene might not have been previously captivating.
Phoenix and Gaga’s vocals are better than I anticipated, and their physical and verbal chemistry was off the charts. The energy each brought to their respective characters was convincing, despite their quick jump into being in love. Gaga’s vocals are exceptional, taking on a completely different and untrained style.
Quinzel makes quick work of manipulating Fleck, as she is hopelessly taken by him and desires for him to return that affection, by any means necessary.
A cult following has built up surrounding Fleck and his crimes, running parallel to a common result of televised murders in the U.S. continuing the social commentary that was seen in the previous film.
Additionally, Fleck’s lawyer is pushing the idea that he and the Joker are not the same, but instead, split personalities. Fleck grapples heavily with this, with Quinzel pushing for him to solely be the Joker.
These competing motives come together for an explosive twist ending, with Fleck finally pleading for the singing to stop in the final moments. However, the singing is what made this movie work for me.
Every scene might not have been perfect and did feel rushed at certain moments, but I found this to be an enjoyable watch for a broader audience than the original. Expectations based on the darkness clouding the original film left some expecting the sequel to follow the same tones.
The film picking up a musical vibe adds some lightness, without taking away from any of the thought provocation. The song choice is inoffensive and complements the themes of the movie, each one seeming to come at the perfect time and matching its scene in style.
If you’re looking for the edgelord Joker that seemed to be in the first installment of DC Black, you won’t be satisfied with this film. However, if you want a psychological thriller that is moved along by some oldies, then set aside an evening and listen to Gaga’s “Harlequin” album before settling in for a music-filled movie night.
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