Joker: Folie à Deux—a title that promises chaos, mental unraveling, and the potential for dark humor—unfortunately delivers none of that. If the first Joker movie was a gritty, character-driven masterpiece that explored the fragility of society and the human mind, this sequel feels like it got lost in a department store sale for glitter and sadness. And while the idea of turning a Joker film into a musical sounded bonkers in a fun way, in reality, it feels more like watching your grandma attempt breakdancing. It’s impressive she tried, but let’s not pretend it worked.
A Musical, But Make it Miserable
Look, musicals are supposed to be fun. Even when they deal with tragic themes, they have some kind of rhythm, pace, and joy in the craft. Les Misérables gave us revolution in song, Chicago gave us murder with jazz hands, and La La Land gave us, well, a massive fight over who really deserved that Oscar. But Joker: Folie à Deux gives us musical numbers that feel like a sad clown stumbled into a jazz club and decided to ruin everyone’s evening.
Let’s talk about the opening number: there’s Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his role as the Joker, but now instead of laughing maniacally and wreaking havoc, he’s…singing. And when I say “singing,” I mean something resembling the groaning of a man who stepped on a Lego. Lady Gaga, who plays Harley Quinn, joins in with her powerhouse voice, but it’s like giving someone a Lamborghini to drive through a muddy village—there’s potential for greatness, but why would you bother?
The songs are meant to be dreamlike, surreal expressions of the characters’ minds. Unfortunately, the audience’s minds are just confused. “Is this a nightmare sequence? A fever dream? Or is this just what happens when a Joker movie is written after someone binge-watches Glee?”
Plot Twist: Courtroom Drama (But Nobody Cares)
Ah yes, a Joker movie about courtroom drama. It’s like they took the most exciting villain in comic book history and thought, “You know what this story needs? Legal proceedings!” The movie’s plot centers around Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and his trial. Yes, we’re supposed to be deeply invested in the Joker’s legal battles. That’s right, folks—the same guy who led Gotham City to anarchy is now worried about his sentence.
The courtroom scenes are the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry. Except, occasionally, the paint tries to sing. The film pretends to throw in some tension when the Joker breaks into a monologue, but instead of the chilling dialogues we expect from him, we get philosophical ramblings that sound like they were pulled from a freshman’s “deep” blog post. And then, there’s a random musical number about justice. Yes, because when I think about trials, what’s missing is a good ol’ tap dance number.
The Harley Quinn Conundrum
Enter Lady Gaga, an undeniable queen of performance, style, and singing. Her Harley Quinn had the potential to steal the show—yet she ends up looking like someone who showed up at a Halloween party and realized she accidentally came a day early. Her performance is stellar, but it’s the character who’s confused. Is she the wacky, violent lover of chaos, or is she a sad musical prodigy who bursts into song every five minutes?
The chemistry between Gaga and Phoenix is supposed to drive the film, but it ends up feeling like the weird couple at a dinner party—no one’s sure if they’re going to start fighting, singing, or both. The big romantic scenes, where they share their “folie à deux,” are almost sweet. But when the background music swells and they start a duet, it’s like watching two adults reenact the prom they never had. There’s a lot of tension, but for all the wrong reasons.
The Dancing Disaster
We need to talk about the dancing. In the first Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s haunting stairway dance became iconic. It was chaotic, raw, and perfectly captured the Joker’s descent into madness. In Folie à Deux, the stairway dance returns—except this time, it’s a full-blown tap routine, complete with jazz hands. I’m not sure whose idea it was to transform one of cinema’s most intense moments into an impromptu episode of So You Think You Can Dance, but it’s here, and it’s hard to unsee.
Even Lady Gaga, known for her high-energy performances, seems like she’s trapped in a bad dream sequence. She’s twirling around, belting out dramatic ballads, and all the while you’re wondering: is this Joker or an audition for Cats? It’s the kind of dancing that makes you think they shot the scene before deciding what genre the film was going to be.
The Storyline: Where Did It Go?
The main problem with Joker: Folie à Deux is that it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a psychological thriller? A character study? A musical? A courtroom drama? Somehow, it tries to be all of them at once, and instead of blending genres, it feels like the cinematic equivalent of a casserole made with every leftover in the fridge. There’s no clear direction, no rising tension. Every time the film gets close to something interesting, it promptly bursts into another musical number, derailing any potential excitement.
In the first film, Arthur Fleck’s journey into madness was gripping. In this one, it feels more like a trip into irrelevance. There’s no clear arc, no real payoff. And when the final credits roll, the audience is left with more questions than answers. The only thing you’re sure of is that you definitely just sat through a musical about the Joker—and it’s not something you ever need to see again.
The Verdict: A Joke Nobody’s Laughing At
Joker: Folie à Deux tries to be different, but it ends up being like that one guy at the party who tells everyone he’s “totally fine” when clearly, he’s had too much to drink. It’s trying too hard to be everything at once—edgy, musical, deep, and thrilling—and failing at all of them. The humor feels unintentional, like watching a serious actor slip on a banana peel. The singing feels out of place, and the story… well, it’s missing in action.
Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga do their best, but even their talents can’t save this film from itself. So, if you’re looking for a movie that will leave you confused, slightly embarrassed, and questioning your life choices, Joker: Folie à Deux is the film for you. Otherwise, maybe just rewatch the first one. Or, better yet, go watch Chicago—at least that one knows how to do musical numbers right.
Final Thoughts: Is This Comedy or Tragedy?
Ultimately, Joker: Folie à Deux will go down as one of those movies people will look back on and think, “Did that really happen?” Much like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker himself, the film is a walking contradiction—a musical without joy, a drama without depth, and a thriller without thrills. And if the joke is on us, well, we’re not laughing.
