Joker: Folie à Deux Deserves The Last Laugh
By now you’ve heard the news: Joker: Folie à Deux is a box office flop and Warner Bros. disaster. While the expectations were high after the original Joker’s success (11 Oscar Nominations and a best actor win for Joaquin Phoenix,) the sequel was not triumphant. Here’s the rub though, I thoroughly loved Joker: Folie à Deux.
The foolishness of Joker: Folie à Deux is that it was a marketed as a grisly continuation rather than the musical hallucination that it is. I enjoyed the original Joker which had exceptional acting and a genuine depiction of mental illness. Phoenix’s Joker isn’t jovial like Nicholson or sadistic like Ledger. Instead this Joker is the product of a man who had been abused and slowly unhinged by an unforgiving society. I am glad however that the sequel did not continue on that same trajectory by lifting the Joker to Icon status. Instead the new film clearly portrays him as a killer who pays for his sins while being devoid of all criminal mastery. While there isn’t much to report plot-wise, the artistry in this film makes it memorable.
The first few minutes of Joker: Folie à Deux begins like a vintage Looney Tunes Cartoon in which Bugs Bunny is replaced by the Joker. The cartoon Joker is striking as he sings on stage while struggling with his animated duality. Quickly that vibrancy is replaced with despondency as the human Joker sits in his jail cell alone. This clever balance sees the Joker inhabit two worlds made ever more meaningful with the introduction of Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel. Lady Gaga elevates the film while commanding the screen as she applies her clownish makeup and commits each high note. Consequently, a mind trip begins as the film alternates between musical numbers and dramatic interludes. Part Moulin Rouge and part One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (with a little Sonny and Cher thrown in for effect,) make each minute entrancing.
Director Todd Phillips must be commended for going against type. Firstly, for making two Joker films in stark contrast to his Hangover glory days. Secondly, for removing the tropes associated with a comic book origin story. Panned by seemingly everyone this film softly arrived in theatres and will quickly become available on Home Premiere. Sadly, the lacklustre success of this sequel might suggest that comic book readers are not interested in pretentious displays of art. I don’t believe that, instead I see Phillips as a forward thinker. I have always believed that people don’t know how ahead someone else is until they catch up themselves. With a jaw dropping ending and twist that will have you rethinking everything, Joker is skillful and creative. Although ridiculed now I guarantee it will be lauded in years to come, and rightfully so.