Joaquin Phoenix goes totally committed, in more way than one, in this enthralling third film for his DC schizophrenic psychopathic clown. Coming off his 2019 Oscar winning Joker, Todd Phillips is back again directing this bizarre musical love story with Lady Gaga who appears just as demented as her lover. And who knew Phoenix could be a song and dance man.
Arthur Fleck/Joker (Phoenix) is being held for trial at Gotham City’s nightmare of a mental institution, Arkham. He’s pencil-thin and so bony his shoulders pop out of his back. Phoenix lost 52 pounds for the 2019 film for which he won the Oscar. He lost almost the same amount this time, but admitted at the World Premiere in Venice, it’s probably not a good idea to do that again. It’s hard to look at him.
The guards, led by the snarky, tough Jackie Sullivan (Brendon Gleason) taunt him and offer cigarettes if he’ll tell a joke. The other inmates revel in The Joker’s status as an anti-hero foreshadower of death. In the beginning of the film, Fleck is morose, almost catatonic. But eventually his disturbingly loud laugh and the iconic clown makeup changes his persona.
At Arkham, made to look like Alcatraz, a woman in the inmates’ choir class, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) who will eventually become known as Harley Quinn, catches his eye. She’s in the mental institution for arson, consumed with lighting fires. The film is shot through a haze of smoke anyway as Lee lights up cigarettes one after another and Fleck theatrically smokes whenever he can bum a butt. But everybody seems to be puffing on tobacco.
Soon, their mutual attraction plays out in song. Crooning classic American tunes like “For Once in My Life,” “Entertainment,” “Get Happy,” “Gonna Build a Mountain” and more in fantasied romantic scenes. Phillips uses their duets which serve as a respite from the oppressed lives they lead. Their miserable existence includes being pushed around, locked up and debilitated in every way. They do make beautiful music together singing songs with lyrics that advance their relationship or what they’re up to, but it’s not a musical in the traditional sense. Philips includes pieces of production numbers, none are fully realized.
The first section of Phillips’ and Scott Silver’s script is their life and love story at Arkham. The second part changes dramatically into a courtroom drama. It’s Arthur’s trial for the mass-murders committed during the previous Joker. Catherine Keener is given short shrift as Arthur’s attorney (Maryanne Stewart) arguing an insanity defense in light of his abominable childhood. But Fleck takes outrageous liberties with her and with courtroom decorum, to the consternation of Judge Herman Rothwax (Bill Smitrovich) played with stern judicial grit.
It’s in the courtroom that Lady Gaga’s character gets completely lost transforming from a bedraggled mental patient to a primly dressed and coifed trial observer supporting her lover. Fleck is always looking to Lee for approval. But with or without her, he’s always on stage looking for attention, which predictably invites some kind of appalling violence the Joker seeks and enjoys.
Phillips curiously puts celebrity interviewer/personality Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan) in to conduct a totally pretentious interview of Joker. It seemed to come out of nowhere and go nowhere which with little to add. The most effective court testimony comes when the diminutive Mr. Puddles (Leigh Gill) takes the stand, and tearfully exposes The Joker as the cold-hearted murderer he knows him to be.
With shortcomings of a hap hazard plot line, and awkward pacing in this too long film, Phillips curiously uses brutal violence with songs. Despite Phoenix, once again, unleashing his dynamic Joker, there are no heroes or villains, so the joke’s on us.
Warner Bros. 2 Hours 18 Minutes R
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