Joker: Folie à Deux divides critics as some complain Lady Gaga is ‘criminally underused’

Critics split on Todd Phillips’s comic book sequel starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga

The first reviews for Joker: Folie à Deux are in, and critics have been left divided between those who found it “ingenious” or “beguiling” and others who found it “dull” and “laborious.”

The film is the sequel to 2019’s Joker, once again directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix reprises his lead role as Arthur Fleck/Joker, while Lady Gaga joins the cast as love interest Harleen “Lee” Quinzel.

Phillips and Gaga revealed ahead of the film’s release that it has a significant musical element.

Among the critics who praised the film was The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab, who delivered a four-star verdict and wrote: “The darkness at the core of the film is underlined by its very brutal ending, which rejects comic book conventions in favour of psychological depth. Phoenix’s performance remains powerful and stirring, too. The genius of it is that we can’t help but care for Arthur despite his neediness and derangement.

“Even during the film’s most apocalyptic and violent moments, we’re always aware that, underneath Joker’s gaudy warpaint, lurks little, feeble Arthur. Against the odds, this ingenious and deeply unsettling film even turns into a bit of a weepie by the final reel.”

Empire’s John Nugent also handed out four stars, calling the film “as sweet and beguiling a musical romance as it’s possible to have between two murderous psychopaths.”

He added: “Its kooky approach won’t suit all stripes of comic-book fan, but it finds a strange, tragic hopefulness all of its own.”

‘Genius’ or just ‘messy’? Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (Warner Bros)

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw felt the film deserved three stars, arguing that the film has a “crazy self-possession” that propels it “up its laborious narrative gradient.”

The Evening Standard’s Jo-Ann Titmarsh was less enthusiastic about the film, giving it two stars and arguing: “This could have been an outstanding film if we had had more comic book action and a little less singing.”

For the BBC, Nicholas Barber called it a “dreary, underwhelming, unnecessary slog.”

That dim view was shared by Kevin Maher of The Times, who also handed out just two stars and called the film a “messy, lifeless sequel.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney wrote that “for a movie running two-and-a-quarter hours, Folie à Deux feels narratively a little thin and at times dull.”

He added: “Some will complain that Gaga is criminally underused in the movie. But as much as it cries out for more of the extravagant numbers where the singer-actress gets to shine, Lee does have a full character arc.”

Vulture film critic Alison Willmore agreed. “Joker: Folie à Deux is Arthur’s movie, and Arthur just isn’t that interesting,” she wrote.

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is screening at the Venice Film Festival and is in cinemas from 4 October