If the primary “Joker” requested if we might have empathy for the satan, the sequel questions if we’re prepared to look at him fall in love, undergo the emotional wringer and in addition placed on a present.
Co-written and directed once more by Todd Phillips, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (★★½ out of 4; rated R; in theaters Friday) takes greater swings than its audacious 2019 predecessor, a finest image nominee and the highest-grossing R-rated film in historical past till Deadpool and Wolverine teamed up. It even has its personal dynamic duo, with Joaquin Phoenix’s tortured Joker discovering a soulmate in Woman Gaga’s electrical tackle Harley Quinn.
Not every thing hums round them, because the dour and distracted however nonetheless well-acted “Folie à Deux” makes an attempt to be jail drama, courtroom thriller and supervillain musical unexpectedly. With Gaga belting old-school pop requirements and Phoenix tap-dancing like a madman, at the very least a type of features positively works.
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It’s been two years since failed social gathering clown/comic Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) turned a folks “hero” of types in Gotham Metropolis, placing on garish face paint and getting locked up at Arkham State Hospital for 5 murders (together with blowing away a late-night host on stay TV). TV motion pictures and books have saved his legend alive exterior jail partitions, however inside, the grim and emaciated Arthur has misplaced his signature cackle. He listlessly takes his meds and will get hounded by mockingly merry jail guard Jackie (Brendan Gleeson) to inform jokes.
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Arthur’s extremely anticipated trial is about to start out and with the state going for the dying penalty, his lawyer (Catherine Keener) desires to mount an madness protection and argue that it was a Joker “persona” that did these killings, not Arthur. His thoughts turns into extra concerned with issues of the center: In music remedy at Arkham, he meets Lee Quinzel, a disturbed songbird who set hearth to her mother and father’ condominium constructing and is an enormous Joker fan. She tells Arthur that after seeing him kill a man on nationwide tv, “I didn’t really feel so alone anymore.”
Like within the first movie, Arthur has showbiz fantasies in his head however they now characteristic him dueting with Lee on songs just like the Bee Gees’ “To Love Someone.” The 2 share a musical connection in his actual life, too, gently whispering “Get Pleased” lyrics to 1 one other. She’s free of the minimum-security ward to get her away from his “unhealthy affect” however performs a serious position as Arthur and her alter ego see their day in courtroom.
Phillips crafts a compelling narrative early on, contrasting gritty, merciless jail scenes with Arthur discovering actual happiness for the primary time in his life. That momentum screeches to a halt as soon as we get to the showy trial, because the “Folie à Deux” then turns into an pointless retelling of the unique film, with sure returning characters and plot factors. It does give Arthur a number of moments of precise contrition, and Phoenix inexplicably channels Foghorn Leghorn when he decides to mount his personal protection.
That first “Joker” leaned nihilistic and poisonous, if deep in its personal psychological means. The sequel can also be darkish however there’s a hope and sweetness to it at occasions. That spawns from the robust chemistry between Gaga and Phoenix in quiet moments and in energetic song-and-dance numbers, as they rip by means of the Nice American Songbook and tunes akin to “The Joker” (the Anthony Newley one, not the Steve Miller Band). Anybody aware of Batman comic-book lore is aware of Joker and Harley have their excessive ups and downs, and it’s pleasurable right here to look at Arthur and Lee’s unhealthy romance come to fruition.
Whereas “Folie à Deux” embraces a heightened, even cartoonish high quality in persevering with the story of Phoenix’s troubled soul, Phillips actually misses an opportunity to go full musical and do one thing actually totally different. Simply dipping its toes in that style, with these robust performers, is sufficient to drive you mad.