This ain’t no laughing matter for Warner Bros., DC Studios or David Zaslav. Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux has arrived on the scene, and critics and audiences are not holding back. Some moviegoers do want their money back. The sequel to the acclaimed Joker has prompted some praise, but mostly criticism, leaving the studio on edge.
This was the only DC movie this year and will not make anywhere near the $1 billion that 2019’s Joker did.
The sequel picks up with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham, where he awaits trial for his crimes as Joker. As he struggles with his dual identity, Arthur not only discovers love but also the music that’s been buried within. Rotten Tomatoes describes the film as a “dance around a story that remains still,” and while Phoenix’s Joker is again front and center, Lady Gaga’s “wildcard energy” brings some spark to the screen.
The numbers tell a bit of the story: with a 39% critic rating and a 37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Typically, an audience score is higher than the Critics’ score. So the current scores are very telling. The Joker
While Joker was divisive, many agreed it brought something fresh and risky to the genre, capturing a raw essence of Arthur Fleck’s descent into madness. The sequel, however, appears to be grappling with its identity. While Deadline praised it as a unique musical experience with its cocktail of “song, dance, comedy, darkness, animation, drama, and violence,” Variety criticized it as “ambitious and superficially outrageous,” but ultimately too cautious to leave a lasting impression.
Caroline Siede of Girl Culture (Substack) lamented that the film might have been more successful if it had stuck to being “a demented musical romance.” However, she felt the sequel stumbles by trying too hard to be a commentary on society. “Alas, Phillips is somehow convinced that these Joker movies need to Say Something Important about the state of the world.”
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times and Jake Coyle of the Associated Press offered “Rotten” takes as well, critiquing the film for being “remarkably inert given how combustible the original was” and suggesting that its blend of prison drama, courthouse thriller, and musical elements ultimately falls flat.
Brian Truitt of USA Today, on the other hand, was more forgiving, rating it fresh: “Anyone familiar with Batman comic-book lore knows Joker and Harley have their extreme ups and downs, and it’s enjoyable here to watch Arthur and Lee’s bad romance come to fruition.” However, he only gave it a 2.5/4 rating, indicating it wasn’t a full triumph.
Empire leaned on the positive side, awarding it 4 stars for being “as sweet and beguiling a musical romance as it’s possible to have between two murderous psychopaths,” while IGN gave it a 5/10, suggesting it “wastes its potential as a movie musical, a courtroom drama, and a sequel that has anything meaningful to say about or add to the first Joker.”
The audience reactions are just as varied. Some viewers hailed it as “well played” with a “shocking ending,” while others walked out of the theater calling it a “bad joke.” Comments ranged from high praise for its artistic depth to complete frustration over the film’s lengthy and sometimes confusing musical breaks.
One viewer on Rotten Tomatoes, Darin, appreciated the boldness of the ending, whereas Joseph found the movie so dreadful he left the theater early, criticizing it for being one of the “worst movies” he’d ever seen in a cinema. It’s clear that Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t a film for everyone, with some appreciating the artistic risks and others feeling like it missed the mark.
While the sequel to Joker boasts strong performances from its lead actors and an intriguing musical twist, the lack of a compelling narrative, “shallow” screenplay and its sometimes chaotic mix of genres left some viewers longing for more.
Whether it will ultimately live up to its predecessor’s legacy—or strike out as an experimental flop—remains to be seen. Will you be laughing, or leaving the theater with a puzzled frown? Only time will tell.
The film is currently in theaters.
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The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
