JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX
(director/writer: Todd Phillips; screenwriter: Scot Silver; cinematographer: Lawrence Sher; editor: Jeff Groth; music: Hildur Guonadottir; cast: Joaquin Phoenix (Arthur Fleck), Lady Gaga (Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel), Brendan Gleeson (Jackie Sullivan), Catherine Keener (Maryanne Stewart), Steve Coogan (Paddy Meyers), Zazie Beetz (Sophie Dumond), Harry Lawtey (Harvey Dent), Leigh Gill (Gary Puddles), Ken Leung (Dr. Victor Liu), Jacob Lofland (Ricky Meline), Bill Smitrovich (Judge Herman Rothwax), Sharon Washington (Debra Kane), Connor Storrie (Young Inmate); Runtime: 138; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Todd Phillips, Joseph Garner, Emma Tillinger Koskoff; Warner Bros.; 2024)
“Repetitive, shallow and clunky.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
The Gotham sequel directed by Todd Phillips (“Joker”/”War Dogs”) and lamely co-written by him and Scot Silver is repetitive, shallow and clunky. By turning it into a poorly made musical, it becomes a film that can’t overcome its bad idea and take away the nutty anti-hero appeal the Joker had in the hit 2019 film. A film, its Joker star, Joaquin Phoenix, won an Oscar.
The film opens with the number called ‘Me and My Shadow,’ in which Arthur Fleck, the Joker (Joaquin Phoenix), wrestles with the two sides of himself. His defense attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) will argue that the abuse Arthur has suffered is the reason he has a split personality. While the DA of Gotham City, Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), will argue he’s just a sick killer who should be held accountable for his actions.
Arthur Fleck is the loser incel who copied the Joker as a psycho-killer of several people. He’s set to be tried for his crimes, while imprisoned at Arkham State Hospital. He’s become a celebrity at the mental hospital and is harassed by the hospital guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), who mockingly keeps asking “You got a joke for us today?”
Fleck has become famous for killing on live television the late-night talk show host Murray Franklin.
A fellow inmate, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), has become Ga-Ga over him. She’s seen the TV-movie about him many times and has become madly taken by him, even if he’s become frail. They meet in the prison and begin a romance when in the same music group. They plan to escape together.
Fleck grants a prison interview with the tabloid-TV interviewer Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan), who taunts him. Fleck retorts by singing “I’m wild again, beguiled again…” He will sing a number of old songs in the film such as (‘What the World Needs Now,’ ‘For Once in My Life, ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ and ‘Gonna Build a Mountain’).
The only thing to be settled is if Fleck will be declared insane and saved from the death penalty.
When his lawyer tells him to drop Lee, he fires her and defends himself.
The story is filled with visualizing Fleck’s murder fantasies and a number of old songs that fail to hit the spot. With Lee and Fleck kept apart most of the time, there’s little chemistry between them.
All this makes for a boring and pointless film. A film that’s close to being unwatchable.
It played at the Venice Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 10/6/2024 GRADE: C
dennisschwartzreviews.com