After seeing the first Joker movie, I started writing movie reviews in 2019. I loved it and was inspired by it, and that’s when I started sharing my thoughts. Fast forward to this year, and I was incredibly excited to see Joker: Folie à Deux, especially because I loved the first one. I’m a huge fan of Harley Quinn, I love Lady Gaga, and I’m a musical enthusiast. It had all the ingredients that seemed to make the perfect movie for me. However, that was not the case.
I went into this movie with super high expectations, given that Joker is one of my favorite movies, and this sequel completely shattered all of those expectations. Let me start with the things I didn’t like, and then I’ll move into the few things I did like.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
First, I did not like the story, especially the ending. It felt disconnected from the rest of the plot. Maybe the director was trying to make a statement, but it just didn’t resonate. I get that the point was to show how everyone in Joker's life failed him, highlighting his tragic circumstances, but that’s simply not who the Joker is supposed to be. Screen Rant pointed out that "Arthur Fleck meets the same fate as Murray Franklin: he's killed by a stranger who grew obsessed with him and felt betrayed by his words on national television." I feel like it was a lazy and sloppy conclusion for a character as iconic as the Joker. Rather than giving us a truly powerful ending that reflected the depth and complexity of his character, the movie reduced him to just another victim of obsession. It stripped away the uniqueness of Joker's story, making him feel like a pawn in someone else’s narrative rather than the central figure in his own. For a character that has represented chaos, defiance, and control over his fate, this felt like an unsatisfying and flat resolution.
Another huge disappointment was Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. I know she has the potential to pull off something crazy and fantastic, but this performance was awful. It didn’t feel like she was playing the unhinged, chaotic Harley Quinn; instead, she came across as just a manipulative girl; which is not hard to come by. Lady Gaga brought nothing new to the table, and the character was unlikable and hollow. I understand that everyone in Joker's life contributed to his downfall, but this version of Harley just felt completely stupid. This was honestly the worst performance of Harley Quinn that I've ever seen.
Then there’s the music. The musical scenes felt so out of place. It was like the movie kept forgetting it was supposed to be a musical and would suddenly remember, “Oh, we need to throw in a song here.” I get that some of the musical elements were Joker's delusions, but if that’s the case, shouldn’t this have been a consistent aspect of his character from the first movie as well?
Now, for the few things I liked. Joaquin Phoenix continued to be amazing as the Joker. Some of his musical scenes were fun, and his character is just so compelling. While I wasn't completely enthused by all of the musical elements, Lady Gaga was still a great performer, and it was interesting to see Phoenix sing as well. Two standout performances for me were "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "Gonna Build a Mountain." Tap-dancing Joker? That was legitimately fun to watch.
Overall, I did not enjoy this movie. Honestly, this terrible film might actually turn me into the Joker. It landed a spot as my worst movie of the year. As a hardcore Joker fan, I will simply just pretend that this film does not exist <3
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