The sequel to 2019’s Oscar-winning 'Joker' sees Lady Gaga join director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix for a follow-up that isn’t a straightforward psychological thriller but a semi-jukebox musical. It’s a bold gambit. Shame it doesn't pay off.
At all. “Enough from the clown!” exclaimed exasperated mob boss Gambol in Christopher Nolan’s . How wise and prescient of the gangster, who doubtlessly would have left a screening of in a huff – had he not been sliced by Heath Ledger’s Clown Prince of Crime in the 2008 caper.
Indeed, the much-anticipated follow-up to Todd Phillips’ Golden Lion and Oscar-winning film is here and...
Well, it's less of a victory lap and more of a fumbled slog. We catch up with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in Arkham Asylum. He’s awaiting trial for the murder of five people, and gets signed up for a music therapy class.
.. Because that’s apparently the reward you get for taking your meds and behaving.
There, he meets Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), an arsonist who is a big fan of Joker’s. She isn’t afraid to lie when she needs to, likes playing with matches, and has got it all figured out. The pair embark on a bad romance, peppered with Golden Age Hollywood hits.
Because despite what Phillips says, his sequel is a musical. Of sorts. Just a half-arsed one.
“I love her,” Arthur shares about Lee. “She gets me.” Does she, Arthur? Or is she flirtatiously playing you for a fool? starts promisingly with an homage to Loo.