Returning to an Oscar-winning role may have been a gamble for star Joaquin Phoenix, but Joker: Folie à Deux was worth the risk as Todd Phillips makes the musical cool again.
People seem so averse to describing Joker 2 as a musical – including Lady Gaga herself, who stars as Harley ‘Lee’ Quinn – but that’s what it is. The same as it’s a sequel. And a thriller. And a courtroom drama.
Writer-director Phillips has fashioned a genius take on the genre – as well as melding it with others – building on the rich vein of music that ran through 2019’s Joker anyway.
We shouldn’t be surprised that Folie à Deux progressed to a full-blown musical; it doesn’t mean that Phoenix’s role or the cinematic universe created for him is any different from last time.
Arthur Fleck just sings in his daydreams and delusions now, and he’s found the perfect duet partner in Lady Gaga’s Harley ‘Lee’ Quinn.
Following an absolutely incredible Looney Tunes-inspired opening, we catch up with Arthur at Arkham Asylum, two years after the events of the prior movie.
He’s imprisoned and awaiting trial, surviving in a dangerous atmosphere with guards (including Brendan Gleeson’s) provoking him for ‘a joke’.
When he lays eyes on Lee during a music therapy session though, they instantly embark on a tumultuous and intense romance.
Arthur, it transpires, has become somewhat of a celebrity since his killing spree – and especially since someone turned it into a TV movie. Lee is enthralled.
Wrapped up in each other’s chaos, the pair come together in a swathe of musical numbers, encompassing standards from the American songbook like Get Happy, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered and That’s Entertainment.
We see them waltz on a rooftop like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, perform on a 70s variety TV show and entertain the audience at a smoky jazz club.
There are also a few original songs in there, and while Gaga is, of course, exceptional, Phoenix reminds us of the pipes he displayed in Walk the Line. Both are performing messily and passionately anyway, perfectly in character.
All the while, Arthur is grappling with his legal defence and alter ego, who Lee encourages at every opportunity.
The two of them promise tragedy and heartbreak, even while tickling the audience in dark moments with their blissful lack of awareness (Arthur wants a better seat for Lee in the courtroom, to watch him perform – never mind that he’s imploding his case).
Folie à Deux also continues its nods to the wider Batman-verse, with Industry’s Harry Lawtey appearing across the courtroom as Harvey Dent.
Actors from the first Joker crop up to give testimony too, tying things nicely together.
It’s hard to know what else the Joker follow-up could have done to satisfy and entertain fans – although we do get a little stuck in the courtroom setting.
The movie’s not a short one either, at two hours and 18 minutes. Perhaps a little trim wouldn’t have hurt.
But in terms of scope, imagination and approach, Folie à Deux achieves two remarkable things. It updates the movie musical, using the genre in an inspired way that shouldn’t frighten fans who think they don’t like them. It’s also that rare sequel that meets – if not surpasses – the quality of its predecessor.
And that’s entertainment.
Joker Folie à Deux premiered at Venice Film Festival on September 4. It releases in UK cinemas on Friday, October 4.