Joker: Folie à Deux

the people who hate on this movie because its a musical clearly dont get WHY its a musical

My take on Joker: Folie à Deux keeps the same vibe as its predecessor. A cautionary tale of one’s struggle with sanity. When you push someone too far, they will break. In a sad, dark world, the only thing one may say is that we have song and dance. Understanding this, I completely see the genius in turning it into a musical. But this is not a happy-ending movie or a feel-good time. It’s extremely sad—and maybe that's what we all need to see to just treat one another with a kind word once in a while. Wow, the performances were amazing, written beautifully. It really doesn't deserve the horrible reviews it's been getting.

I voted a 10 on this to help bring the rating closer to what I believe is a more accurate 7. In my opinion, this isn't a perfect 10, but it also doesn't deserve to be rated as low as a 5. It's somewhere in between: a solid piece of work that might not reach masterpiece level, yet it certainly stands above average. A 7 feels like a fair assessment, balancing its strengths and weaknesses, but I saw it being undervalued by some and thought I'd add a bit more weight toward the positive end. Hopefully, with more balanced votes, the final rating will better reflect the overall quality here. Would be better if Harley was imaginary.

I don't think this movie is as bad as the majority consider it.
Am I disappointed because I didn't get the Joker we all expected? Maybe, but I feel bad for thinking that way, because you shouldn't want that. You shouldn't want a Joker. Yes, he was miserable, and his life was a disaster. Everyone should pity him for his life as Arthur Fleck, but you can't excuse his murders, no matter the reason.

I think all the people who gave this movie a bad rating are like Harley Quinn or like the people in the movie who wanted to see Joker—when they didn’t get a rampage from him, they started to hate him. That’s a reflection of the real world.

As you see at the end of the movie, the "real" Joker emerges, because Arthur was never the Joker—he was just the spark that started it all. People got "sick" because they saw him as an example. He had his reasons, but because of him, people started to rampage and act without concern because they wanted to tear down the system. You can also see this in the real world we live in: people do things because their favorite influencer is doing it.

I'm glad to see good reviews of this film, after reading that it was a failure. Why? Because it's a musical? And if it is a musical, which for me it's not quite, what's happening that it can't be good? What's happening that the Joker can't be a musical and say the same thing as if he weren't? Well, gentlemen, it's a great film, in fact, a great film, with a stratospheric Joaquin Phoenix. A film that unravels the internal struggle to be the Joker or not to be, in which it leaves an open ending for all kinds of conjectures. Summing up, a different film and not pigeonholed in what we've always seen. Magnificent, for me a 9. I enjoyed it a lot. Oh and by the way, let me not forget, Lady Gaga is spectacular too, but that doesn't surprise me anymore.

Great title, great movie.

I had heard tiny bits about 'Joker: Folie à Deux' falling below expectations since its release, though they weren't substantial enough to know if the film was any good or not. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching it all play out. It admittedly isn't on the same level as the phenomenal predecessor, but that's OK - I wasn't expecting it to be.

I will say that making this a musical of sorts was a bold choice, it wouldn't have been the direction that I would've went with it but to be honest I thought they executed it nicely. I presume that is one reason many didn't like this, as well as possibly the lack of craziness that seemed like it was on the horizon based on the 2019 flick. For me, mind, it all works.

Joaquin Phoenix is as excellent as anticipated in his reprisal as Joker, while Lady Gaga is a neat piece of casting for Lee - obviously her music chops for one, though I do enjoy her acting too. Lee perhaps could've been used more, but what we got is more than sufficient in my opinion. Brendan Gleeson, elsewhere, does well in a more minor role.

Is is slightly overlong? Possibly. Did we need a sequel? Probably not. All I can confirm is that I had a positive time viewing it, so I can't harbour any noteworthy complaints. It's a shame to now read that this film has seemingly bombed in more ways than one. C'est la vie.

If you’ve not seen this, my advice would be to go on open minded, preferably the creative part of your brain. Don’t worry about it being a sort of musical, that only adds to the drama that unfolds.

So what is this movie like? You know if you’re someone who watched this on its release back in September, you’d have been optimistic going in and disappointed going out. Conversely, I went into this pessimistically and came out pleasantly surprised. I don’t know what this is? It’s a bit like a modern art painting in an exclusive gallery, or a fine art print from a designer shop, at first you’re not quite sure if it’s good or bad so you settle with ‘it’s cool’ - then it grows on you, then you grow to love it. That’s what Joker: Folie a Deux is a work of massively understated fine art.

Folie à Deux is more difficult to enjoy than its predecessor. Its bleak tone and tragedy will be difficult for your average human being.

Put it this way, it’s no coincidence that they picked Phoenix and GaGa for this film.

I seriously would never understand the low rating. This movie is phenomenal. The added musical makes it unique. Cast is just amazing, very well done. And it clearly shows at the very end that Arthur is not The Joker, never was. Probably some inspiration or as a backstory to the real one.

To those who haven’t seen it:
If you’re a huge DC fan and expect this to be a DC movie, don’t even try to watch it. You’ll be disappointed. It literally has nothing to do with the real Joker. It is just a made-up backstory of The Joker.

If you’re an open minded, and dont have expectations just try to understand the society presented and why The Joker was born.

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) delivers exactly what I expected, and in many ways, it exceeded my anticipation. Joaquin Phoenix once again brings an incredible depth to the Joker character, cementing his place as one of the best interpretations of the iconic villain. His performance is captivating, carrying the emotional weight of the film and keeping the audience engaged even when the narrative ventures into darker, more unsettling territory.

While Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Harley Quinn didn’t have the same impact for me, I think this was more a result of the character writing rather than her performance. Her take on Harley felt less nuanced and compelling compared to Phoenix’s masterful portrayal of the Joker, which left the character feeling slightly underdeveloped in comparison. Still, Gaga brought her own style to the role, and the musical aspects of the film—while surprising—didn’t bother me. In fact, they added a unique layer to the story, aligning with the film’s tone of psychological instability and surrealism.

Overall, Folie à Deux offers a compelling, often uncomfortable dive into the madness that both the Joker and Harley Quinn experience, with Phoenix at the heart of it all. The film is a bit uneven with its characterizations, but Phoenix’s performance makes it a 9/10 for me, delivering exactly what I was hoping for while still leaving some room for improvement.

This movie was actually really good, the actors in the movie was really good, Lady Gage's character was also really good acting. I personally enjoyed watching it with it being one of my first Joker movies I've seen. If they make any more then I will be planning to go and see them