By Michael Sangiacomo
The new Joker movie may just be too smart for its target audience.
Joker: Folie a Deux picks up at the end of the first Joker film, then radically departs from the typical comic book superhero flick into something deep, dark and stunning.
It could have been called “The Trial of The Joker” and presented as a simple sequel to the first film, but director Todd Phillips did something brave and startling. The actual film title is fitting; the French phrase translates to “two people sharing a delusion,” which precisely describes the relationship between Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga).
Comic fans may judge the movie harshly at first. But watch it; sleep on it, give it time to gestate, consider the implications of what you watched. You may find it runs far deeper than the typical superhero beat-‘em-up.
It digs into the psyche of a despondent Joker in ways comic writers (except for Alan Moore and Grant Morrison, of course) have rarely explored. Enter Harley Quinn, a character I generally despise in comic and film, who shares Joker’s delusion, making him believe it could be real. Lady Gaga, co-writer Scott Silver, and director Phillips create a reason for Harley to exist other than being eye candy. She’s not a giggling, comic-relief psuchopath who gleefully murders people for no reason; she’s a mentally ill woman in love. And she is far more interesting.
It is that relationship that drives the plot.
Beware, there is singing and dancing in the movie as part of Joker’s delusion. Look past the actual songs and consider the lyrics, which actually propel the story. And yes, Joaquin Phoenix’s singing is awful, but it is supposed to be.
Everyone else in the cast is perfect, but they are background characters. Phoenix and Gaga are the movie. There is no suggestion of Batman in this Gotham City, but we do see the grim city itself and Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), the crusading district attorney who transforms into the villainous Two-Face in the comics.
There was no post credit scene in the pre-opening showing at the Regal Crocker Park cinema in Westlake. It is showing there in the IMAX theater, which is not worth the extra money. Save it for the popcorn.
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