Why has Joker: Folie à Deux divided critics?
The sequel to Joker is 'staggeringly inept' in its attempts to explore mental health issues – but Lady Gaga is 'magnetic'

Five years ago, the American writer-director Todd Phillips (until then best known for the Vegas-set comedy "The Hangover") won widespread acclaim for "Joker", a dark origin story about Arthur Fleck, the mentally ill, failed standup comic who commits unspeakable acts in Gotham City as his clown-faced criminal alter ego the Joker, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.
In this strange "pastiche Scorsese", Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) was reminiscent of Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" and Rupert Pupkin from "The King of Comedy", and got to kill Robert De Niro, who played both. I found the film laborious, but it made $1bn at the box office, and earned its star an Oscar. Now, the sequel is here, and though similarly tedious, it has been improved by the surprising addition of musical numbers.
"Eyebrows were raised" when it emerged that Joker was going to sing, said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph. But actually, the American standards that punctuate the drama make a kind of sense: "each is a flight of fantasy that momentarily frees both character and film from their sombre shackles".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The action is set in a home for the criminally insane, where Fleck is awaiting trial for murder, and in court; and the songs are performed either as solos or duets with fellow inmate Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), who is infatuated with Fleck's alter ego. A quiet, "watchful" presence, Gaga is not given much to do apart from the musical numbers – but in them she is "creepily magnetic". As for Phoenix, he is "transfixingly unsettling", which adds to the tension.
The performances are good, said Christina Newland on the i news site. But in its attempts to explore issues such as mental health and abuse, the film is staggeringly inept. And Phoenix's "cartoon madman" act does start to pall.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Crossword: July 5, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Jeff in Venice: a 'triumph of tackiness'?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Shami Chakrabarti picks her favourite books
The Week Recommends The politician and human rights activist shares the polemics that inspired her
-
The Anatomy of Painting: Jenny Saville's 'stunning' retrospective
The Week Recommends Saville's new collection features 'masterpieces' from throughout her career
-
M3GAN 2.0: riotous action sequel to the comedy-horror hit about a killer doll
The Week Recommends A 'ridiculously' entertaining 'hyper-camp mash-up' of Terminator 2 and Mission: Impossible
-
Properties of the week: bright and cheerful houses
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Cornwall, London and Norfolk
-
6 sleek homes for modernists
Feature Featuring a concrete-and-steel home in South Carolina and a renovated 19th-century former carriage house in Pennsylvania
-
The Genius Myth: a 'fresh and unpretentious' book from Helen Lewis
The Week Recommends This 'angry, witty book' by Helen Lewis is a valuable critique of the 'flattering fiction' of genius
-
From Hilde, With Love – the 'moving' story of an accidental revolutionary
The Week Recommends Liv Lisa Fries gives a 'compelling' performance as the soft-spoken heroine.