JEANNE’S REVIEW

 

Full disclosure --- I did not want to see JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX because I was so traumatized by the gratuitous violence showcased in JOKER (2019). But I was convinced (coerced) by David to attend a screening. And ultimately --- instead of being terrified --- I was bored!

 

Other than a few enjoyable musical numbers by Lady Gaga, who plays Harleen “Lee” Quinzel --- and definitely not the ones performed by Joaquin Phoenix (Arthur Fleck/Joker) --- JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX spends a majority of its time in the Arkham Asylum and the massive courthouse in Gotham City. Maintaining the dark and rank feeling of its predecessor, the overall tenor of JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX is a daunting state of depression.

 

Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener join the cast as Jackie Sullivan and Maryanne Stewart. Sullivan is a guard at the asylum who occasionally does a nice deed for Arthur, but when crossed, he’s a particularly nasty SOB. And Stewart is Arthur’s lawyer when he stands trial for the five --- really six --- people he murdered in JOKER. She tries to help only to have Arthur dismiss her so he can defend himself.

 

Gleeson and Keener are polished professionals, but the screenplay by Scott Silver and Todd Phillips --- who also directs --- is alarmingly lacking in imagination. Both Gleeson’s and Keener’s roles are steeped in cliches --- the prison guard who himself should be in a mental institution, and the kind, understanding attorney concerned for her

undeniably insane client. Talk about unoriginal...

 

Of course, Gaga is fantastic --- not only singing but acting. I didn’t enjoy Phoenix’ performance in JOKER, and here it’s even more irritating. Every time Arthur laughs maniacally, it’s painful --- and not in a good way. Just because an actor can portray such a loathsome character with gusto, does not make it synonymous with great acting.

 

Billed as a musical psychological thriller, Phillips missed his mark. It’s neither thrilling --- nor entertaining.

 

Opinion: Don’t Bother!

 

 

DAVID’S REVIEW

 

If you’re wondering about the phrase in this film’s title, “folie à deux” translates to “madness of two” in French, and it further means “mental illness or delusion shared by two people in close association”. In JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX, the sequel to JOKER (2019) --- the two people are Joker/Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and his new love interest Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga).

 

JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX is not an easy movie to watch --- quite a few violent scenes --- including a stabbing and a severe beating. Having said that, virtually all the violence takes place in fantasy sequences.

 

These fantasies include song-and-dance numbers aplenty featuring Phoenix and Gaga. We know she has a great voice and Phoenix tries his best to match it. Has anyone ever walked into a movie theater to see a film about the Joker and expected a musical? Anyway, their duets are entertaining.

 

Another more suitable question might be: can a pyromaniac and a serial killer actually fall in love? According to writer/director Todd Phillips and his co-scribe Scott Silver, the answer is yes.

 

Less uplifting, of course, are the prison scenes of Fleck being held pending his trial for five murders. Although the prison guards are primarily just going about their jobs, one in particular, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), initially shows a fondness for his prisoner, but later does a 180 due to an overt insult of him by Fleck. Whenever we see Fleck in solitary confinement or around the prison yard, Phoenix excels with his facial expressions and bouts of mad laughter.

 

JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX is frequently riveting --- there is no denying the intense performances, especially from Phoenix. He demonstrates with his reflective silences and his verbal outbursts what a split personality looks like.

 

Steve Coogan has a strong cameo as an interviewer of Fleck. And Leigh Gill returns in an engrossing performance as the sympathetic character named Gary Puddles who testifies against Fleck in court.

 

Fleck’s attorney, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), tries her best to represent her client, but in a surprise turn he decides to represent himself. Other good portrayals include Bill Smitrovich as the no-nonsense Judge Herman Rothwax, and Harry Lawtey as prosecuting attorney Harvey Dent.

 

Gaga proves once again what an accomplished actor she truly is, although clearly Phoenix is the focal point of

JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX. Still, with all its violent sequences, it’s difficult to heartily recommend this effort.

 

Opinion: Wait for VOD