While awaiting trial for the murders he had been accused of committing two years ago, Arthur Fleck was incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he was bullied by guards like Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). While his attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) hoped to get him acquitted by reason of split personality, the district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) argued that he was completely sane when he killed his victims.
One day, Fleck met Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She introduced herself as a girl who grew up in Arthur's community who got locked up at Arkham after she burned down a building of her abusive father. She confessed her fascination with Arthur, while Arthur's fantasies all featured Lee duetting with him in various music video scenarios, with songs ranging from "If My Friends Could See Me Now" to "(They Long to Be) Close to You."
Tood Philips' first "Joker" (2019) was both critically-acclaimed (won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival) and a massive box office success (the first R-rated film to earn $1B). It was the first DC film ever to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. Its star Joaquin Phoenix bagged the Oscar for Best Actor. Because of this massive success, the hype and excitement for its sequel was very high, which is not always a good thing.
Joaquin Phoenix still had his bizarre Arthur Fleck / Joker dual personae all there. He was totally immersed into this character, transformed in both physical and psychological aspects. Even his singing voice had that weird timbre. Lady Gaga was an effortless fit for the role of Lee Quinzel, a character she seemed born to portray. Gaga's versatile singing voice saved the song numbers, but the concepts of these vignettes were too deranged.
It was not difficult to see why this film was not as liked by critics and audiences than the first one. The musical genre was not a good fit with the psychological drama being told, as the "clown-themed" song choices felt random and forced. The dour and depressing story of this pernicious partnership just plodded on and on, until the ending ended all doubts whether Arthur Fleck was actually the nemesis of Batman we thought he was or not. 6/10.
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