Have to admit that I hated the first movie...I found it so unrelentingly depressing, and hated JP's Oscar-winning performance, so I have no interest in seeing the sequel. Based on the reviews I have read thus far, it will be interesting to see if this comes anywhere near to being the success that the first movie was. Reviews frequently don't matter for movies like this, but some of the reviews were real pans.
There was a time when I liked some of JP's performances, but I think he has become so affected / eccentric as an actor, that I will probably avoid them in the future, starting with this.
I didn't have much interest in this until Lady Gaga's album came out--and I know it's more inspired by her character rather than the movie itself, but I was curious to see what the musical sensibilities of the movie would be like. Hearing these reports though, maybe I'll pass.
I hated the first movie but I'm a massive Gaga fan so I had higher expectations for this prior to the reviews.
But good god this sucks.
The first Joker felt like a dumb guy's riff on a Martin Scorsese movie. As a courtroom musical, this movie feels more indebted to Rob Marshall's CHICAGO or Scorsese's NYNY instead of Bob Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ or CABARET.
As with the first movie, there are some interesting visual moments, but the musical sequences are really poorly executed. There is no substance, and the songs feel shoehorned into places where they don't belong. Maybe most damning of all, Todd Phillips doesn't let Lady Gaga be a star in this: she's singing in this mousy voice most of the time, which works for the character in the asylum I guess, but even the fantasy sequences feel wooden. She's also given nothing to play, which makes her hard to root for.
The lack of substance and inertness of the screenplay also make it feel endless.
Like last week's fiasco, MEGALOPOLIS, there was a good deal of uncomfortable laughter in my screening, but I doubt the filmmakers intended for those –– or any –– moments to be comedic.
My main takeaway was I hope Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener got paid a lot of money for their thankless roles :)
In short:
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content
thank god Arthur Fleck dies at the end so we don't have to endure Joker 3 :)
"While many knew this Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga combo would be challenged in the fact that it was a musical, the fanboys full out rejected the sequel last night on PostTrak with a 1/2 star and 40% positive. Holy guacamole, Batman. Did the Megalopolis cynics show up last night? Because that’s the same Thursday night grade (actually 45% positive) that the Francis Ford Coppola directed $120M dystopian epic received a week ago before inching up to one star on PostTrak."
Kad said: "It's rare to see a movie that is unanimously disliked like this- and doesn't even seem to fall into the "so bad it's fun" category."
Feels like the type of thing where musicals fans are going to hate it because it's a bad musical, and also DC/Joker fans are going to hate it because it's a musical and (from my memory) somewhat more tame than the first one.
Absolutely zero character development, zero chemistry, zero motivation. I had no idea I was watching. A disaster in editing. Poor Gaga was left out at sea.
This has received a D CinemaScore, the worst ever for a movie that cost more than $100 million and the lowest for a DC or Marvel movie.
(CinemaScore is a reputable audience survey completed on paper at the theater, typically on its first night. It’s an indicator of what word of mouth might be like, and often the scores skew high.)
doodoo. caca. dookie. (also my favorite Green Day Album) poopy. ****ty. Manure. Crappy. Poopoo. Stinky.
i enjoyed the first movie when I first saw it at the beginning of this year but this movie was a dumpster fire and I wouldn’t wish a viewing of this upon my worst enemy.
I suspect everyone hates this for the reasons given earlier - it's not a good musical so musical fans will hate it, and it attempts to be a musical for a comic book movie so everyone else will hate it. I am most disappointed at the execution of the musical elements and too much shallowness in Lady Gaga's character but I think the overall concept, visuals and atmosphere worked for me - I just wish they made many different choices in how they musicalised it. I do at least respect the failed attempt to try and make it work because they did find a way to stop people laughing at the ridiculousness of bursting into song by trying to have a framing device and concept for why people sing. It's just that come on you've got LADY GAGA and clearly a spectacular team of designers and cinematographers. is THAT all you could come up with?
I'm sure another director could have found a way to get Lady Gaga's spectacular recording of 'That's Entertainment' on the companion album and stage a full production number with some kind of creepy/eerie subtextual way of flashing to different scenes. Here for too much Lady Gaga had to pretend she couldn't sing. Yes, it might have suited the character intellectually but there is no magic with this approach.
I absolutely loved the first movie, and I thought this movie was just ok. Gaga's companion album makes it better. I didn't find this to be an embarrassment like CATS or anything.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Me, I'm still waiting for Gaga to do a movie where she doesn't spend half of it slathered in makeup. Her natural, brown haired look is so sensual and appealing, not unlike What's Up Doc/Up the Sandbox-era Streisand.
verywellthensigh said: "Me, I'm still waiting for Gaga to do a movie where she doesn't spend half of it slathered in makeup. Her natural, brown haired look is so sensual and appealing,not unlike What's Up Doc/Up the Sandbox-era Streisand."
TotallyEffed said: "(I still want her to do Passion on Broadway)"
That has the potential to be incredibly campy and I'd like to see it.
Of all the musical roles out there, I want her to play Madame Rose. On screen or stage. She's 38 so could really play the role any time in the next 20 years.
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "TotallyEffed said: "(I still want her to do Passion on Broadway)"
That has the potential to beincrediblycampy and I'd like to see it.
Of all the musical roles out there, I want her to play Madame Rose. On screen or stage. She's 38 so could really play the role any time in the next 20 years."