Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Todd Phillips, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2024. This marks the first public screening of the film, a sequel to Joker (2019). Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the Joker, alongside Lady Gaga as his love interest. The film is a musical psychological thriller and garnered mixed reviews, leaning towards average, as reported by Metacritic.
Critics were divided on whether Joker: Folie à Deux lived up to its predecessor. Metascore shows an average rating of 54, indicating a split among critics. Out of 23 critic reviews, 43% gave it positive feedback, 48% rated it as average, and 9% gave it negative reviews. Based on 42 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 59%.
Joker: Folie à Deux given mixed reviews, from "bleak" to "mortal sin"
Pete Hammons from Deadline said the musical was like no other, while Geoffrey Macnab from The Independent said it was "just as bleak and daring as the original." Tim Grierson mentioned that Gaga and Phoenix "fail to spark" in the film. Siddhant Adlakha of IGN remarked that Phillips keeps returning to what he knows best instead of creating something new.
Some reviews were even more critical, with Alison Willmore of The Vulture stating that Joker: Folie à Deux committed the "mortal sin of wasting Lady Gaga." On the other hand, David Ehrlich of Indiewire said the musical felt like it was "bad on purpose." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter commented,
"Even more than its predecessor, the sequel reduces the archvillain to a hollowed-out product of childhood trauma and mental illness."
Some reviews were more favorable toward Phoenix himself. Dorian Parks of Geeks of Color called Phoenix's performance in Joker: Folie à Deux "award-worthy," while Ema Sasic of Next Best Picture described it as "masterful." Siddhant Adlakha of IGN also added,
"Phoenix sprawls out across the screen, luxuriantly, comfortably, and confidently…however, he never loses Arthur’s inherent goofiness even when putting on this front."
Todd Phillips had a "strong feeling" about the film premiering in Venice
Deadline reported on September 4, 2024, that director Todd Phillips said he felt that premiering Joker: Folie à Deux in Venice was “right and correct," as it was the "logical launching point." However, he admitted that following the success of the first film, it was a bit nerve-wracking to be back. He added,
"We have a very strong feeling with Venice and what happened last time. I would say on this one I’m more nervous. There are a lot more expectations on a second film. There’s more nervousness.”
The press conference also touched on another hot topic: Phoenix's weight loss. For the previous movie, Phoenix lost 52 pounds. However, he noted that it was more complicated this time around due to the dance rehearsals. He said,
“I’m not going to talk through specifics of the diet, but this time it felt a bit more complicated just because there was so much dance rehearsal that we were doing, which I didn’t have last time. I’m now 49, I probably shouldn’t do this again. This is probably it for me.”
What happens in Joker: Folie à Deux?
Joker: Folie à Deux takes place two years after its predecessor, Joker. Arthur Fleck has been admitted—or more accurately, incarcerated—at Arkham State Hospital. It’s there that he meets and falls in love with music therapist Lee, aka Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. Upon his release, the duo embarks on a journey through shared delusions and madness.
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Joker: Folie à Deux will hit theaters on October 4, 2024, exactly five years after the release of the first film. The movie has been given an R rating by the MPA due to strong language, violence, and explicit imagery.
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