JOKER: FOLIE a DEUX (in theatres)

“Folie a Deux” a colloquialism for two crazies hooking up, and there are no finer templates than “Arthur Fleck” (Joaquin Phoenix) and “Lee” (Lady Gaga); stunning, magically disturbing power couple who make “Joker” into a reminiscent musical, moveable feast: “What the World Needs Now Is Love” (Burt Bacharach), “For Once in My Life” (Ron Miller)), “If My Friends Could See Me Now” (Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields), a myriad of others but the most painfully poignant, sung achingly by Joker over the phone to Lee is “If You Go Away” (Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen), herein lies the beauty, longing of bona fide love, gnawing bitterness, loneliness of potential loss and the stellar brilliance of director Todd Phillips.

The original “Joker” for me, was abysmal, the nuttiness of a demented man impersonating a clown, running around the doomed, dirty city of Gotham was egregiously nonsensical; unworthy of all the hoopla and accolades; surprisingly,the profundity of this second, strangely compelling film forced me to rewatch “Joker”; recognizing the metaphorical references to a society addicted to fame and tabloids; destructive politicians, shunning of the outlier, it was all there, avoidance of the status quo, lust for rule breaking, fabricating a milieu where a “clown” soars above the privileged and where mental illness, more than being accepted, is understood.

A romantic, singing, dancing tale told in the confines of a prison and courtroom; Phoenix and Gaga, are archetypical protagonists, masterfully performing, glittering as their rhythmic choreography carries them beyond prison walls, into an imagined freedom, where mountains can be created. The dynamic scenes are orchestrated to consummate grace and style. The acting, sublime.

“Joker: Folie a Deux is a wonderful, wildly wicked romp and “That’s Entertainment”.

FOUR STARS!!!!

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