Spoilers: This is a review; it will include spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) and Joker (2019)
On Friday, October 4, 2024, movie theaters across the US raised the curtains for the release of Joker: Folie a Deux and so far, the reviews have been a wild roller coaster. The sequel to the popular movie was first released in 2019, racking in over a billion dollars in the box offline; how is the sequel facing up to its predecessor? The answer is, not very well. The 2024 film Joker: Folie a Deux, according to USA Today , was expected to reach $81.1 million dollars during its release weekend, but was considered an overall flop, reaching roughly $40 million on opening weekend, only about 50% of the projection. This film also received a CinemaScore of a “D” against the “B+” the first film earned. With an overall IMDB rating of 5.3, one user said, “Phillips outdone himself in directing a film that has an outstanding cinematography/visuals that portrays every feeling and emotion that it wants to tell and express. BUT, he failed in creating an engaging storyline,” accompanied by a 6/10-star rating, Joker: Folie a Deux is a split for movie goers.
The plot of this movie starts from the end of the first fill; main character Arthur Fleck (aka The Joker) played by Joaquin Phoenix begins trial after the state of New York calls for the death penalty. On the way to an interview Arthur meets a woman by the name of Lee Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga. It’s love at first sight. These two grow closer and closer before having a dramatic show of affection in the rain. Soon, the trial begins, with Arthur being represented by his lawyer Maryanne Stewart, played by Catherine Keener, and the state of New York represented by Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey.
The trial is in full swing, a back and forth between the trial of the century and a dark life in prison. In his defense, his lawyer is attempting to get a plea of insanity, believing Arthur to have dissociative identity disorder, claiming “The Joker” and Arthur Fleck are different personalities residing in his body. But everything begins to change, after every hearing Arthur seems to be happier and happier; his partner in crime Lee is there with him every step of the way. Eventually the happiness shifts to pure bliss, he fires his lawyer and requests to represent himself from then on and is approved.
He continues with his hearing, each time confidence growing and growing; until it all crumbles when he goes against his defense, “There is no Joker.” His last hearing results in a death penalty sentence, before BOOM. The courthouse explodes, an act of protest. The scene is grim, the court room destroyed, New York’s representative burned halfway down his body, all seats empty, he manages to escape, but there’s no point. People believed in the Joker, and now that there is no Joker, he loses everything, including the love of his life, before the screen fades to black.
The stars of this film, Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, as well as Director Todd Phillips, sat down with Journalist Paul McGuire Grimes to discuss the film and the directional contrast between this musical wonderland sequel and the original gritty spiral in the mind of Arthur Fleck. Grimes jumps right in with the approach of a musical and use of musical therapy piggybacking the line, “In this class we use music to feel whole.” Music therapy is a form of therapy in which music is used to internalize and accomplish personal goals, as well as using music to enact an emotional response. Phoenix talks about his personal relationship with music, as being something that was important in his adolescence that began to “drift away” as he aged.
Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix, and Todd Phillips at the U.K red carpet premiere of Joker:Folie a Deux
Phoenix states, “…it was interesting to have music brought back in, uh, it had been a long time.” Phoenix explains the importance of music in his life, within connections as well as how Lady Gaga helped him understand and get back into this world. Lady Gaga also gave a comment to this question, stating, “Something about songwriting, singing, acting, all of these that um, made me feel whole as a kid cause I always felt really different and uh, it was like the way I healed myself with the arts.” While the music in the film is different than Gaga’s usual style, she explains the way she was able to take something she already loved and form it to her character, being able to express Lee’s showmanship rather than what people expect from Gaga. Todd Phillips, the director of “Joker; Folie a Deux” shares his vision of Gaga, stating, “…we should find an actor who brings music with them.” When asked about the production and the choice of recording IMAX (films made specifically for aspect ratios of IMAX theatres,) he said, “[The IMAX gives] that sort of immersive feeling that some audiences can’t put into words.”
This musical interpretation of Joker, of course, is accompanied by a soundtrack worth remembering; the musical outbursts of emotion, love, and other feelings are sudden and memorable, from the shadows to the lights, but what about the star of the show? This soundtrack includes mostly covers of famous songs, most notably “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, a callback from the original film, as well as “That’s Entertainment,” which was originally written for the 1953 jukebox musical film, “The Band Wagon.” Prior to the movie’s release, Lady Gaga released an album on September 27th, 2024, called Harlequin. This album included all songs from the film covered by Gaga, including songs such as “The Joker” from the 1964 Broadway musical, “The Roar of Greasepaint,” performed in the movie by Joaquin Phoenix as Joker. This album also includes an original song by Lady Gaga, named after the movie, “Folie a Deux.” The music this film presents allows for emotions that the audience apply to the situation at hand, and in some cases contrast the opposite.
Album cover art for the album “Harlequin” by Lady Gaga.
While the reviews have been shaky, the work put into this movie cannot be denied. The dark atmosphere allows for the viewer to feel in the moment with the characters, while the musical scenes do the same thing. Being able to see the fantasy delusions of the characters helps us understand them and feel a connection, seeing the world from their eyes, and falling down the spiral of a world that isn’t true with them as the story unfolds. Phoenix’s Joker has made an impact on many people since the original 2019 film and while this movie took a different turn from the original, the impact that Arthur Fleck has left on viewers continues strong with this performance of chaos, love, and insanity.