Joker: Folie A Duex

It’s a shame that Joaquin Pheonix got roped into something like this, considering how good the first Joker was. This movie is a travesty compared to the monumental success of the first movie. Why they decided to make it a musical is beyond me. But that’s the route that the producers chose to go with, and this is what they ended up with. I don’t know if it would have been much better even if you had taken the music out of it, but the musical parts certainly weren’t helping the movie in any way. 

The plot in and of itself doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. And I know what you’re thinking: “Well, it’s the Joker. Isn’t that kind of the point?” Touche. That’s a very valid point. But at the same time, it’s also a movie. So, it should make some semblance of sense. There are a lot of scenes that are just thrown in for no reason that seem to have no point and essentially come out of left field for no reason with no explanation at all. And while that does stand in line with the mindset of the Joker, it’s hardly an entertaining foray for a motion picture. 

The musical parts, on the other hand, seem less like performances and more like interruptions. The songs are long and drawn out. They’re not very good, quite frankly. And they really break up the flow of the movie. I think it would be a much better movie without all the singing, honestly. And I understand that’s the entire reason that they cast Lady Gaga in the first place. Because she is a singer. And a talented singer at that. But that doesn’t help if the music is no good and not really helping the movie anyway. Talent can only take you so far when the content isn’t that great to begin with.  

I think the writers just tried to spread themselves too thin. They tried to incorporate too many elements into the script. They tried to make it a psychological thriller/musical/drama with comedic elements. That’s too many variables. You have to pick a genre and specialize in it. Focus on one thing. If you want to make it a musical, focus on the music. If you want to make it a psychological thriller, focus on the psychological thriller aspect. Then you come up with something like the first Joker. 

Joker: Folie A Deux has some of the worst critical receptions of any comic book movie so far released. It got a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for 6 Golden Raspberry awards. 2 of which, it won. It also got an average grade of “D” on an A+ to F scale on the CinemaScore website. And despite the fact that the Joker is literally my favorite comic book character, I don’t disagree with any of them. 

But, despite all of that, I think you should go and see it anyway. It’s not a “good” movie. But it’s an “interesting” movie. It’s a movie worth seeing. If for nothing else than to know what it’s about. And, as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…