[Editor’s note: The following story contains spoilers for “ Joker: Folie à Deux ,” including its ending.] Yes, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is a mess. Yes, it is a lackluster follow-up to 2019’s “Joker” that made history as the first R-rated movie ever to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
Let’s just say that Joaquin Phoenix definitely won’t be winning a Best Actor Oscar for this sequel. But, what “Joker: Folie à Deux” does do is position itself as a so-baffling-it’s-amazing soon-to-be cult classic (“Grease 2,” anyone?). And this also might not be the last of this particular “Joker” universe created by director and co-writer Todd Phillips , as the film serves a trio of origin stories for other villains, for better or for worse.
Sure, Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is dead, but as we soon learn, he never really was THE Joker after all. Arthur is an empathic, mentally ill character who became a larger-than-life symbol, so much so that he couldn’t even have a close relationship without his darker side (AKA Arthur’s Joker) being prized over who he really was. Let’s dive into the possibilities of a third “Joker” film, and unpack what the title “Folie à Deux” really means.
Crazy in Love? Or Just a Fan? The musical components of the film begin with the animated featurette that precedes “Joker: Folie à Deux,” during which the audience is introduced to the concept of split personalities by way of “Me and My Shadow.” There is the Joker.