Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips have once again smashed their heads together to bring the Joker back to audiences. While the first film was divisive for departing from the Joker character that fans love, it was critically acclaimed enough to win Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and even the coveted Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival. Joker: Folie à Deux is divisive simply because it uses elements of a musical in a poor fashion to call out fans of the first film.

Following Heath Ledger’s Oscar win for portraying the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight, the character received quite a boost in everyone’s imagination. Fans of the Batman comics had never seen the Clown Prince of Crime in live action like this. Jack Nicholson’s Jack Napier from Batman (1989) was already a departure from DC Comics canon. And while Ledger’s Joker was in the dark and broody, realistic style that became the norm for DC live-action films, he brought the essence of a no-name psycho who just wants to watch the world burn. And then there was Jared Leto. The less said about him, the better.

If audiences were already questioning why the film studio made Joker in 2018, then even more people would be asking the same of the sequel. Arthur Fleck, as portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is not really the Joker that fans want. Fleck is a sad-sack, stuck in a Gotham of the 80s sans Batman. The only promising element of Folie à Deux was the inclusion of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. And yet, even that is disappointing.

Gaga’s “Lee” seems, at first, ready to be Fleck’s ride-or-die. She’s obsessed with him and, perhaps, more dangerous than him. But as the film goes on, her backstory is revealed by characters in ways that feel like afterthoughts. Fans of the comic book version of Harley Quinn will see nothing they want here, and fans of Lady Gaga herself will only want her to have more screen time. But this film is decidedly about Fleck, and maybe a little about the Joker.

Only the most diehard DC Comics fan will find value in watching this over-bloated film that is filled with fake-outs and hallucinations. Singing becomes a language in the film early on, but it’s not clear if any character is actually singing. Is this all in their heads? Does that even matter? The pretend situations provide some of the more entertaining and visually enchanting scenes, such as Joker and Harley hosting a variety show. Or a later scene that acts as a release of Harley’s frustrations in the courtroom.

But, as the Joker might say, none of this is funny anymore. It’s tired and a little drawn-out. The gag has been gagged. The guffaw has gone out. Perhaps the true bright light to come out of this film is Lady Gaga’s album “Harlequinn” which features her polished versions of the show tunes sung, rather poorly, throughout Joker: Folie à Deux.

Joker: Folie à Deux, 138 mins, Dir: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener

★★★☆☆