But I do now.
Arthur is about to stand trial for his crimes during the last movie. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), wants to get him off by reason of dissociative identity disorder. The head guard of Arkham, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), hates him as much as his victims' families. One day, Arthur catches a glimpse of Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow patient with her own crazy streak. They hit it off once he joins her music class. And then, the trial happens, and Arthur is left wondering if the world cares about him or Joker. That's pretty much it, is it?
Oh yeah, and the film's also a musical, which is probably the first reason why it's so controversial. But I thought it made sense once they announced that angle. Chicago famously refactored its stage counterpart's vaudevillian numbers as protagonist Roxie Hart's daydreams. So, it would make sense to depict its musical numbers as Arthur's own daydreams. The song choices are fine, while the musical numbers themselves jolt the film with needed life, particularly when they're mixed with returning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir's contributions.
The execution is a bit weird. Sometimes, we have Arthur and Lee performing on soundstages; other times, they sing in "reality" to an imaginary orchestra. Arthur's first number is clearly a daydream, and I thought Harley's first number was too, but no, she's actually singing while fleeing with Arthur. In a bit of levity, we have Arthur singing Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered) in an interview, much to the interviewer's (Steve Coogan) confusion. The musical angle also takes about a half-hour before it officially kicks in. The plot is so slow it feels taxing waiting for each new number to begin. Thankfully, each number is often worth it.
Todd Philips and his co-writer, Scott Silver, wrote their sequel to demystify Joker as a likable character. Unfortunately, they made Arthur too sympathetic, both in the last movie, and in this one. In both movies, Arthur is kicked down by the world, but in this movie, he nary gets a chance to "go werewolf" on his oppressors. He imagines himself doing so in one number, and he gets some good clowning when he defends himself at one point. But that's about it. The film emphasizes the tragedy of Arthur's plight, and believe me, Phoenix gets some good acting there, while the especially controversial ending turns his story into a bitter Shaggy Dog Story.
Gaga affirms herself as a great singer and actress as Lee. She's a manipulative troublemaker with a surprising amount of free-range. She sets a piano, and with it, the music room, on fire early on; yet she still gets to see Arthur in solitary. She has some great romantic chemistry with Arthur, particularly when she asks to see "the real" him. As manipulative as she is, she turns out to be just a fan looking for validation. She's actually quite sympathetic when her given backstory crumbles into dust and the real her appears.
Equally sympathetic are several returning characters who are called during the trial. These include Arthur's ex co-worker Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill), whom Joker cross-examines, his former neighbor Sophie Drummond (Zazie Beetz) and former social worker Debra Kane (Sharon Washington). Sullivan and his goons may act chummy with Arthur, but they're monstrous villains, and their karma houdinis are especially annoying. Assistant D.A. Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), the future villain Two-Face, along with the father of one of Joker's subway kills (Ray Lykins), are more sympathetic than the guards.
The musical numbers, whether they take place in the real or daydream worlds, are all rendered spectacularly by returning production designer Mark Friedberg and cinematographer Lawrence Sher. I almost wish all the musical numbers were in daydream world, especially with splendorous sets such as these, but I digress. The makeup team, along with costume designer Arianne Phillips give its main clowns plenty of wild looks. The sound mixing was fine, though it was a bit hard to hear Joker's swan song, but a few choice sound effects packed a punch.
I found it pretty overwhelming watching the first Joker, but I warmed it up to it the more I studied its psychological and acting aspects. Folie à Deux, on the other hand, was a bit more tedious than overwhelming, but maybe I'll also warm up to it too. It being a musical is hardly the worse of its problems. I definitely liked its musical numbers, but not its shaggy dog punchline. At least it's more coherent than, say, Megalopolis. Overall, it's fine, but its Chomet opening was great. I meant it, more Chomet please, that'll be cool.
That's it for now.
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