The biggest sin committed byJoker: Folie a Deuxis its inabilityto be a proper sequel.
Director and co-writer Todd Phillips continually teases interesting new ideas and themes but never makes good on them.
In fact, at times he purposefully sets something up only to tear it down.
Lady Gaga joins Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux.Warner Bros.
As a result,Joker: Folie a Deuxmight be the most non-sequel sequel ever made.
Its act one of the next chapter stretched into a full movie, which is simultaneouslyunsatisfying and frustrating.
Wait, were sorry.
Lee and Joker inJoker: Folie à Deux –Warner Bros.
Arthur in prison awaiting trial is where thelive-action portionof the movie starts off.
These scenes are beautiful and often quite entertaining.
Through all of this,Joker: Folie a Deuxkeeps our interest.
Arthur is not doing great in prison. – Warner Bros.
Will Arthur be able to get away with murder?
How will his newfound love change him as a person?
Can Gotham City handle the fact the trial is being broadcast on TV?
We do get some answers to those questions but rarely in the way we expect.
Arthur mostly remains the same old Arthur, sad and quiet sometimes, boisterous and violent at others.
From the first scenes through the ending, he rarely deviates or reveals new insight into his psyche.
Once the trial begins though,Joker: Folie a Deuxreally loses its way.
Again though, with this Phillips sets up the potential for something special and it doesnt pay off.
All the while,Joker: Folie a Deuxkeeps teasing its audience in unsatisfying ways.
Will Arthur and Lees musical fantasies amount to anything?
Does Lees fandom for Joker say anything in particular about the nature of celebrity?
Scenes we want to be longer are not.
Scenes we want to be short are long.
This may have been the point but it doesnt quite work.
All of which may have been okay if any of it amounted to something.
Some justification for the ping pong game Phillips is playing with the films plot and themes.
Instead, without spoiling anything, the films third act aggressively goes against everything on an even grander stage.
To be fair, there are some good things going on inJoker: Folie a Deux.
And the cinematography by Lawrence Sher is sumptuous, giving the whole movie a very retro, epic feel.
Joker: Folie a Deuxis less about Arthur than its a stand-in for him.
At least the firstJokerleft you with some things to think about.
Here youre just left frustrated at everything that could have been or never was.
Joker: Folie a Deuxis in theaters Friday.
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