Key Takeaways
- Quentin Tarantino praised Joker 2 as funny and lauded Phoenix’s performance.
- Joker 2 is seen as a critique of comic book movies, making it polarizing among audiences.
- Paul Schrader criticized the film; Tarantino’s positive review may not sway opinions but sheds light on Phillips’ intentions.
A Joker: Folie à Deux review by a prolific movie director offers rare praise for the film and lead actor Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. This positive assessment is in stark contrast to the overwhelming negative Joker 2 reviews.
Joker 2 debuted to negative reviews and bombed at the box office. Insiders and rival studios reportedly estimated Joker 2 could lose millions for Warner Bros, a shock to the company considering the first Joker film earned over $1 billion, becoming one of the most profitable comic book movies due to its relatively modest budget. However, while the first Joker film earned the respect of audiences who were decidedly more positive toward it than critics, Folie à Deux earned the ire of many moviegoers.
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However, film director and writer Quentin Tarantino counts himself among the minority who love Joker 2. During an interview on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast (via Variety), Tarantino admitted he walked into his Joker 2 screening expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking but feeling it wouldn’t work. “I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is,” Tarantino explained. But the filmmaker found himself engaged in Joker 2 and expressed fondness for the musical numbers.
I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it. I really liked the musical sequences. I got really caught up. I thought the more banal the songs were, the better they were. I find myself listening to the lyrics of ‘For Once in My Life’ in a way I never have before.”
Tarantino also described Joker 2 as “really funny” and commended Phoenix’s portrayal of the titular character as “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life in this movie.” Some interpreted Joker 2 as director Todd Phillip’s means of criticizing the studios that produce comic book movies and the fans who love them. Tarantino seemingly interpreted Joker 2 the same way, but this was another reason he loved the film:
The Joker directed the movie. The entire concept, even him spending the studio’s money — he’s spending it like the Joker would spend it, all right? […] And then his big surprise gift — haha! — the jack-in-the-box, when he offers you his hand for a handshake and you get a buzzer with 10,000 volts shooting you — is the comic book geeks. He’s saying fuck you to all of them. He’s saying fuck you to the movie audience. He’s saying fuck you to Hollywood. He’s saying fuck you to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers […] And Todd Phillips is the Joker. Un film de Joker, all right, is what it is. He is the Joker.
If Joker 2 is indeed Phillips’ way of ‘giving the finger’ to comic book movies and Hollywood, it’s unsurprising that Tarantino is a fan. Tarantino has been critical of Marvel movies, once saying he believes they are jobs given out to directors who have little creative input, as opposed to the scripts he develops himself from the ground up. Tarantino even said he wasn’t much of a fan of the first Joker movie, saying it was mostly “one-note” until the scene in which Robert De Niro’s character is killed, which made the entire film worthwhile to him. So, his endorsement of Joker 2 is undoubtedly noteworthy.
Not every filmmaker is fond of Joker 2. Director Paul Schrader bashed Joker 2, saying it was not a good musical and criticizing Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s performances. So, few people will likely be swayed by Tarantino’s views, but perhaps some will appreciate what Phillips was going for with Joker 2, even if they feel it didn’t come together well.
Joker: Folie à Deux is now available on digital platforms.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips’ critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
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Source: The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast