There’s something uniquely disturbing about Joker: Folie à Deux. And no, I don’t mean that scene with Arthur and the Arkham guards. What I mean is that you can’t watch the film and don’t get the sense that it was made by someone who loathed the first Joker and everything it meant for fans. That sense of despise for Arthur’s story extends beyond the lackluster plot or the uninspired musical numbers, going straight to the characters themselves. From Arthur Fleck becoming the butt of every joke to getting one of the most unimpressive Harvey Kent in DC’s history, no character was safe from Joker: Folie à Deux‘s mission to systematically destroy everything Joker did.
Perhaps the worst example of this is Lady Gaga’s character – a woman who we are meant to believe is Harley Quinn. As every DC fan knows, Harley and Joker are inseparable – even if modern reinterpretations have taken her far from the Clown Prince of Crime. Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, like every other aspect of Joker: Folie à Deux, feels like an afterthought.
A Scam is Born
Picking Lady Gaga as Joaquin Phoenix’s co-star appears to be Todd Phillips‘ way of getting his own version of A Star is Born. It makes perfect sense once we consider the close professional relationship between Phillips and Bradley Cooper, who co-starred alongside Gaga in 2018’s A Star is Born.
Seeing as Joker: Folie à Deux would be a musical (for some reason,) Gaga sounded like a great pick, especially if she could rehearse her Oscar-nominated performance in this movie. For all intents and purposes, Lady Gaga at least looks like she’s trying to play a character in this film – it just so happens that the character she’s playing holds little resemblance to any version of Harley Quinn.
RELATED: Jared Leto’s Joker Has the Last Laugh Over Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck – And Fans Can’t Deny It
Necessary Comparisons
I’ll be the first to admit that I never enjoyed Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn. To me, Bruce Timm is the only person who’s ever written a compelling Harley in Batman: The Animated Series – which also means that my favorite Harley has always been Arleen Sorkin.
That’s the best part of a character like Harley – it changes and adapts to the demands of the plot, and that might explain its popularity among DC fans. Everyone has a favorite Harley Quinn, from Tara Strong to Margot Robbie and everyone else in between – I just have a hard time believing anyone would pick Lady Gaga as their favorite.
It’s not even Gaga’s fault. As I mentioned earlier, she’s one of the few people who seems to be trying to salvage the mess that is Joker 2. She has a great singing voice that’s never used to its fullest because the film has no original songs, and her chemistry with Phoenix is non-existent. Heck, you know you messed up when even Jared Leto and Margot Robbie look like a more believable power couple.
Gaga gave her all in a performance that was destined to fail. Joker 2 turned even one of the best Jokers we’ve had into a shadow of himself, and that shadow obscured everything else this musical sequel could have offered, including the most bizarre Harley we’ve ever seen. Yes, that includes the one from Batman: Caped Crusader.
RELATED: Wait, Did Joker: Folie à Deux Introduce Heath Ledger’s Joker?
Tell us, do you think Lady Gaga was a good Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux?
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