Harry Lawley

‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is an ambitious film to say the least. It’s a musical, a courtroom drama, a character study, a love story, and a thriller all-in-one.  Before I even put the film in my 4K player, I was well aware of how poorly it was received by critics and audiences alike.  I was also well aware that some people considered it a misunderstood masterpiece. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle with “Joker: Folie à Deux,” as I thought there were individual moments in the film which were powerful, well-acted and intense.  There were also moments where I was shaking my head and wondering what the hell was going on, and why they decided to go in this particular direction.  Overall, it’s a mixed bag, but I would say there is more bad than good in here.

I was a big fan of 2019’s “Joker” which surprised me, as I’m not usually a fan of comic book films.  I liked it because it didn’t feel like a comic book movie, and it was more of a character study.  I know film critics and fans like to criticize and call it a “Taxi Driver” rip-off, but I thought it was an impressive film with a standout performance from Joaquin Phoenix.  I was excited to watch the sequel, even with all the negative press it had received, because I thought the character was interesting, layered and complex. I wanted to see what they would do next with Arthur Fleck/Joker and what he’s been up to since we last visited him.

When “Joker: Folie à Deux” opens up, we see Arthur adjusting to life in Arkham State Hospital. He’s become a local celebrity because of the TV movie on his life, and the guards and fellow patients alike are fascinated by him.  While in the heavily guarded hospital, he’s awaiting trial for the five murders he committed.  Arthur’s lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, played by Catherine Keener, is not exactly sure what to make of him.  Her case is going to center around the fact that she believes Arthur suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which means his Joker persona is responsible for the murders. I found this part of the film to be the most intriguing, especially when Arthur is interviewed by a reporter, played by Steve Coogan.

One day, Arthur meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), and it is love at first sight.  They connect over their love of music, and she’s also a fan of Arthur.  She tells Arthur she’s watched the TV movie about his life twenty times and reveals they have a lot in common. Arthur is smitten with Lee, and they hit it off right away.  This gives him new life as he prepares for his upcoming trial.  He trusts anything that comes out of Lee’s mouth and believes she knows what is best for him. His lawyer, on the other hand, is looking out for Arthur’s best interests and warns him to keep his guard up.

Let’s start with the positives—”Joker: Folie à Deux” has a lot of big ideas.  I enjoyed the exploration of mental health.  I thought the way they presented it was done in a way that was compelling and multifaceted. I also liked the way the film dealt with how society becomes obsessed with fame and how villains and killers are worshipped by the public. I thought the film had a terrific cast.  The performances were nuanced and believable. All of this made this sequel even more frustrating because there are true moments of brilliance on screen from the actors and the people behind the scenes.

Whenever the film started to get interesting or capture my attention, it would seem to have a moment where it felt like the director and the screenwriter were messing with the audience. It was almost as if we entered another film. I didn’t understand why they didn’t have the conviction and nerve to just make this a straight-up sequel without all of the random musical scenes and gimmicks. I have nothing against musicals, but these scenes made me lose my focus because they didn’t add to the story and instead took away from what was happening on screen.  Again, I felt like the director and the screenwriter were just messing with the audience and playing games.

Overall, I can’t recommend “Joker: Folie à Deux” because the film is all over-the-place and wildly inconsistent.  It’s even more infuriating because, like I stated previously, there are some really, really powerful and well-acted scenes throughout. However, they are not in the film nearly enough to recommend it.  Lady Gaga, for example, is great, but she doesn’t have enough screen time.  I was hoping she would have just as Phoenix did, but she’s in and out of this film far too often.  This is one of the most disappointing films of 2024.  I didn’t hate it, but I sure was disappointed by it.

* ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Joker: Folie à Deux” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film. The film has a running-time of 138 minutes and is rated R for some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.

4K Video Info: Much like 2019’s “Joker,” this is a top-notch visual experience.  It is crystal clear from start-to-finish.  The film also has deep blacks which really set the moody and atmospheric tone of what unfolds. From a visual standpoint, this film gets an A. The Dolby Vision transfer is perfect.

4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track is also perfect. This is a theatrical movie in every sense of the word, and the audio is perfect. It’s perfect for your at-home theater set-up.  Subtitles are included in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

Everything Must Go (Four Part Longform Documentary)

   – Can I Have a Cigarette?

   – Finding Lee

    – A Hundred Films in One

    – King of Nothing

The Character of Music

Live! With The Joker

Colors Of Madness

Crafted With Class

Should You Buy It?

This is going to be a hard pass from me unless you loved the film and thought it was brilliant.  I know John Waters and Quentin Tarantino have praised it, and it has been a source of controversy in the film community. Overall, I didn’t think it was great, and I also didn’t think it was one of the worst films of the year either. I think it’s below average, but it’s watchable, despite its lengthy running time. Joaquin Phoenix gives another top-flight performance as Arthur Fleck, and it’s hard to keep your eyes off him on screen. As mentioned earlier, I wish they would have given Lady Gaga more to do, as I thought she was fantastic when she was on-screen.  Overall, I’d say watch it on Max and see how you feel about it. If you do like it, you will be very happy with this 4K release.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ – Yes, It Is That Disappointing

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

After spending too much time watching its critic and audience scores sink like stones on Rotten Tomatoes, I took the time to check out “Joker: Folie a Deux” at my local movie theater. Regardless of its horrific reception and the fact it is now one of the biggest box office bombs of 2024, I had to see it for myself as, and I am in agreement with Tony Farinella, the original was one of the very best movies of 2019. Surely it could not be as bad as many were making it out to be, and perhaps its Cinemascore grade of a D might prove to be a badge of honor. And perhaps it may be a misunderstood masterpiece which will only grow in stature like other box office debacles have in the past. Anything is possible.

Well, in the meantime, I have to be honest and say “Joker: Folie a Deux” is a tremendous disappointment. In its attempt to retain the anarchic spirit of its predecessor, it instead becomes a miserable and lifeless spectacle which many have described as being inert. This reminds me of some dialogue uttered by Hal Williams in “Private Benjamin:”

“Beware, there are mine fields out there. Most of them are inert. However, some are ert.”

Well, this sequel could use way more of those ert moments.

We catch up with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) two years after the murders he committed, and he is in custody at Arkham State Hospital, the place where all DC Comic villains end up residing in at some point. While he awaits trial where he is expected to answer for his crimes, his lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) looks to prove he suffers from dissociative identity disorder and that his alter ego of Joker is far more responsible for the heinous acts he has committed.

While passing by a musical therapy session, Arthur catches the eye of Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a patient who becomes instantly smitten with him. From there, these two form an unshakeable bond as they revel in one another’s chaos and fight against a society which seems infinitely determined to break them down in any and every way. But can this love affair survive the legal ramifications Arthur may have to answer to?

The big question many have about “Joker: Folie a Deux,” as I do, is this: is this sequel really a musical? Ever since the commercial failure of Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and the underperformance of the movie version of “In the Heights,” Hollywood has been shy about declaring any of its upcoming releases as being anything resembling a music video, let alone a musical. I can easily imagine a conversation between a film buff and a movie executive sounding something like this:

“Is this film a musical or not?”

“Well… it has music in it…”

When it comes down to it, “Joker: Folie a Deux” has a number of musical moments where Arthur and Harleen sing and dance to such tunes as “What the World Needs Now is Love,” “For Once in My Life,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “That’s Entertainment” among others. Some are rehearsed to where the actors are not expected to be as well-rehearsed as the average Broadway actor, and others prove to be more theatrical in ways I expect from someone like Lady Gaga. Regardless, I felt this sequel did not engage the musical form in any kind of enthralling manner. It’s like it wanted a musical, and then it didn’t want to be as it went straight into a courtroom drama which simply regurgitated the events of the previous film.

This is a real shame as there is a lot to admire about “Joker: Folie a Deux.” The cinematography by Lawrence Sher is truly Oscar worthy, the production design by Mark Friedberg is impressive, and Hildur Guðnadóttir, who won an Oscar for her work on the previous film, gives this installment strong musical compositions. As for the actors, Joaquin Phoenix remains one of the best working in movies today, Lady Gaga remains an amazing talent, and we get terrific performances from infinitely reliable actors like Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz throughout.

And let us never forget Leigh Gill who returns as Gary Puddles, Arthur’s former clown co-worker whose life he spared despite very brutal, not to mention horrifically bloody, circumstances. Seeing Gary testifying against Arthur is quite painful as he is testifying against a former friend and one who was always kind to him when no one else was proves to be moving and painful, and also one of the few moments this sequel has with any kind of invigorating emotion.

But as “Joker: Folie a Deux” reaches its final act, I became completely bewildered at what unfolded before me. We watch Arthur Fleck, decked out in his Joker makeup, apologize for his murderous actions to where he renounces his Joker persona. The problem is, “Joker” dealt with all the forces and a cruel, unforgiving Gotham city which turned Arthur into the menace he became to where it acted as an indictment of a society which renders his mental health a minute concern. By that film’s end, Arthur has fully embraced his alter ego to where his former life is just a memory, and he no longer feels any shame forced on him. But here, it is almost like the first film is treated like a joke when it never should have been.

Todd Phillips described the first “Joker” film as being an origin story, but not the  origin story of this particular villainous DC Comics character. To him, these two films were based on an idea of this character not actually being the Joker, but instead being an inspiration for the Joker. This is an interesting idea, but he doesn’t do a good job of communicating this idea to us. Instead, I came out of it feeling like the rug was ripped out from under me, and its conclusion left me feeling as emotionally wrung out as the one from “Alien 3” did, and that one made me want to shoot myself.

I don’t know; perhaps time will be kind to “Joker: Folie a Deux.” It was released the same year as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and, like that one, received a terrible critical and commercial reception. It pains me to think this will be the last time in a while where a filmmaker will have unchecked power when making such a big-budgeted motion picture. While Coppola has the excuse of self-financing his passion project, Phillips is not so lucky as a major film studio backed him on this one, thinking they had another billion dollar hit on their hands. This feels like an implication that future movies like this one will be rendered more formulaic and safer in the process. That sucks, doesn’t it?

For what it is worth, “Alien 3” has grown on me a lot since its theatrical release, and maybe this one will too. Then again, it doesn’t have Marc Maron whose character survived the last one. Could the man with the WTF podcast have saved this one? Okay, that’s wishful thinking,

* ½ out of * * * *