--- title: "Joker: Folie à Deux: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/joker-folie-a-deux/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/joker-folie-a-deux" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 14 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews are split almost exactly down the middle, and the spread is wide. Most critics agree on what Phillips has made: a musical sequel that keeps Arthur in prison and the courtroom and lets fantasy numbers stand in for much of the plot. They disagree about whether that is bold or perverse. The praise clusters around the performances, with Phoenix’s commitment and Gaga’s low-key charisma noted even by reviews that dislike the film, and around the musical sequences, which several critics call the most alive thing on screen. The reservations cluster around the songs themselves, the thin writing of Gaga’s role, a slack middle stretch and a sense that the film has less to say than the first. The Telegraph and Time Out find the risks worth taking; The i Paper and The New York Times find it dour and self-indulgent. The AV Club reads its coldness as deliberate, an attempt to dissatisfy the fans who made the first film a hit. ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Rating 4/5. 3 October 2024. Festival review. The sequel is just as bleak and formally daring as the original, with a powerful performance from Phoenix that makes viewers care for Arthur despite his derangement. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/joker-2-review-venice-b2606866.html) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 3 October 2024. Phillips charts a subversive course for the sequel, keeping the realistic tone with Arthur mostly in prison or court, where musical fantasy numbers provide relief; Phoenix is transfixingly unsettling and the film maintains tinderbox tension despite not matching the predecessor's impact. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/09/04/joker-folie-a-deux-review/) ## Time Out — John Bleasdale Rating 4/5. 4 September 2024. A bold, often brilliant jukebox musical sequel with zero merriment; Phoenix and Gaga deliver strong performances in a bleak, multi-genre mix that takes risks and avoids obvious routes from the original. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/joker-folie-a-deux-review-2024) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. The film is a beguiling musical romance between murderous psychopaths, with an oddly hopeful tone and genuine originality in its approach to the character. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/joker-folie-a-deux/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2024. The film is a bold but indulgent musical sequel that replaces the original's gritty narrative with a romance/courtroom mashup lifted by Lady Gaga's charisma, though it offers little new overall and suffers from thin characterisation for her role. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/oct/06/joker-folie-a-deux-review-lady-gaga-electrifies-in-mediocre-musical-sequel) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating C. 4 October 2024. The film is a sour, contemptuous slog that aims to dissatisfy fans with its affectionless approach and undermining of expectations. It features some mesmerizing minimalist musical duets but overall feels like a perverse joke that prioritizes alienation over engagement. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/joker-folie-a-deux-review) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 2/2/2. 1 October 2024. The film is dismissed as a grim, amateurish musical with flat songs and thin characterisation; Gaga is underused and Phoenix's singing is grating, making it embarrassing overall despite minor improvements over the first Joker. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/joker-folie-a-deux) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2024. The result is a messy, lifeless, derivative musical set mostly in Arkham asylum with uninspired songs and a disappointing follow-up to Phoenix's Oscar-winning performance, though it looks nice and retains the mournful score. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-lady-gaga-sequel-05bkvdmz9) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2024. The film is staggeringly stupid and self-indulgent, with tacked-on musical numbers and a simple-minded take on mental health, though Lady Gaga shines as a star. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/gaga-star-joker-folie-a-deux-review-3306410) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★☆☆. 3 October 2024. The film is a curious musical romance between Phoenix's Arthur and Gaga's Harleen in Arkham that can be deeply boring yet offers clever moments and is less dislikeable than the first, with the point perhaps being that we live in fantasy or there is no point. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/cdee0704-e8f1-404c-a8af-3af7814f11d0) ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Ordoña 4 October 2024. Phoenix and Gaga are committed and the film offers some interesting ideas about identity, but momentum issues, lengthy musical detours, and a lack of suspense or thriller elements make it falter as a character study or sequel. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-10-04/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-lady-gaga-todd-phillips) ## Radio Times Rating ★★★★☆. 5 September 2024. The sequel lacks the original's intensity but surprises with its musical elements and downbeat tone; Phoenix and Gaga shine in versatile, engaging performances that reinvent the comic-book movie in a brooding way. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-and-lady-gaga-shine-in-downbeat-sequel/) ## Screen Daily 4 September 2024. Festival review. An ambitious but mostly unsuccessful sequel mixing musical and courtroom elements; big swings largely miss, with lukewarm chemistry, familiar performances, and a failure to match the original's insight or grandeur. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/joker-folie-a-deux-venice-review/5196494.article) ## Sight and Sound 30 September 2024. The critic finds the sequel less morally provocative and more enjoyable than the original, thanks to strong musical numbers and Joaquin Phoenix's committed performance, though it may disappoint diehard fans of the first film. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/joker-folie-deux-this-all-singing-sequel-tapdances-trolls) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 4 September 2024. Festival review. The sequel is uneven and narratively thin, confining the story mostly to prison and courtroom settings while adding fantasy musical numbers. The musical sequences and the performances of Phoenix and Gaga stand out as the film's most vital and electric elements. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-lady-gaga-todd-phillips-sequel-1235989963/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 3 October 2024. The film is a dour, unpleasant slog that is hard to know why it was made or for whom. It is a half-baked, halfhearted musical with one star who can sing and another who cannot or will not. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/03/movies/joker-folie-a-deux-review.html) ## /Film — Bill Bria Rating 8/10. 4 September 2024. The critic finds the film a compelling character study and musical deconstruction that extends the first Joker's themes, praising its psychological realism and Lady Gaga's revelatory performance as Lee. They note it feels honest to itself despite attempting to tackle too much. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1653083/joker-2-review/) ## NME — Matthew Turner Rating 4/5. 4 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises it as a surprisingly moving, psychologically complex tale that is part prison movie, part courtroom drama and all musical, confronting elements of the first film in a bold way. They single out the performances of Phoenix and Gaga, and the film's gorgeous visuals and unexpected social responsibility. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/joker-folie-a-deux-review-lady-gaga-3790522) ## Den of Geek — Rosie Fletcher Rating 2/5. 3 October 2024. The critic finds the film a messy, dull, and overly long courtroom drama and prison story with little point or chemistry, despite strong performances from Phoenix and Gaga. They single out the musical numbers for adding some color but criticize them as not advancing the story sufficiently. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/joker-2-review-tuneless-musical-with-lady-gaga/) ## Polygon — Susana Polo Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2024. The review highlights the film's numerous contradictions in character portrayal, messaging, and reality framing that leave its themes muddled. It criticizes the indulgent approach that fails to deliver a clear or satisfying statement. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/movies/460843/joker-2-review-folie-a-deux) ## Collider — Martin Tsai Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. The critic deems the sequel an underwhelming mishandling of its jukebox musical idea, with clashing scores and arbitrary song choices. Phoenix and Gaga's performances are also found lacking in depth and impact. [Read the review](https://collider.com/joker-folie-a-deux-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 4 September 2024. Festival review. The critic calls the film a brilliant and audacious musical return to the world of madness, praising its head-spinning mix of song, dance, comedy, darkness and drama as unlike any other musical. He singles out Lady Gaga's smartly low-key performance as Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel for showing believable affection and connection. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-lady-gaga-brilliant-musical-return-world-of-madness-venice-film-festival-1236077064/) ## The Wrap — William Bibbiani The critic finds the film the most interesting one about Arthur Fleck, describing it as genuinely daring, challenging and genuine in its approach. He singles out the way it undercuts expectations of the first film's blockbuster success by questioning audience fascination with the character. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/joker-folie-a-deux-review-joaquin-phoenix-lady-gaga/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/joker-folie-a-deux.md