In Praise of Folie (à Deux) – Etienne F. Augé

ln recent years, there hasn’t been a superhero film as divisive as Joker: Folie à Deux. Both fans and critics are either praising the work of director Todd Phillips and actors Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga or condemning it entirely. With the latter reaction being more common. At Modern Myths, we fall into the first camp. So does French historian and teacher Etienne F. Augé, who works in the Netherlands at Erasmus University. He has a strong opinion about the movie, which he shares in his column, In Praise of Folie (à Deux)!

Also read our Joker Folie à Deux review (in Dutch) and Jeroen’s Superheroes review.

Film director Martin Scorsese famously said that Marvel movies are not cinema, they are closer to theme parks. Just like not all novels are literature, not all movies are cinema. That might be the issue with Joker: Folie à Deux: it is cinema.

In the past decades, superhero movies have been the most successful genre in Hollywood, generating billions of revenues, and drawing millions of fans who became part of the super ecosystem. Fans have always been a major foundation of everything considered geek culture, such as science fiction, superheroes, or fantasy. Without fans, all these genres snubbed by high culture would not have survived. But then, the geeks got organized online, took power, and things started to go sour.

Is there something wrong with fans, or with Joker?

Fans believed they should have a say in how geek culture was designed. A bit like customers who think they should be allowed to choose the colors of M&M’s or the taste of Coca-Cola. Fans have rejected Captain Marvel, made fun of Black Adam (hard to disagree), and decided that Joker: Folie à Deux is “cringy”.

On IMDb, the latest film of Todd Phillips receives an even lower grade than the terrible DCU blockbuster starring Dwayne “The Rock” Jonhson. Which leads to an obvious question: is there something wrong with the fans, or with Joker: Folie à Deux?

In Praise of Folie (à Deux) – One of the best geek films of 2024

Superheroes - Etienne F. Augé & Barry W. Fitzgerald — *Superheroes* – Etienne F. Augé & Barry W. Fitzgerald

Joker: Folie à Deux is not only a great supervillain film, it is also a great film. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is at his best, with an impressive range of acting that goes from pathetic Arthur Fleck to flamboyant Joker. Lady Gaga (maybe it’s time to change her name, as it sounds like the pseudo she chose for MySpace ages ago) is confirming that she is not just an amazing singer and composer, but also a solid actress who does not shy away from complex challenges. The soundtrack is sophisticated, with atmosphere music that contrasts with the more technicolor crooner songs performed by Fleck/Joker.

The progression of the film is controlled, with an ending that could be classic New Hollywood, easily comparing to films like Easy Rider or Carlito’s Way. Also, the movie itself is packed with references to Hollywood films of the Golden Era, starring Charlie Chaplin or Fred Astaire. Why so much hatred for what is one of the best geek films of 2024, along with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, or Dune: Part Two?

Cult films

Many films do not find their audience when they are released, but then become cult films. Blade Runner might be one of the best examples. Released in 1982, Blade Runner was a failure and barely recouped its budget. Many critics did not get this film, called, among other atrocities “A disjointed, implausible sci-film so trapped in photographic manoeuvres that it’s lifeless” (San Francisco Examiner).

Today, Blade Runner is considered as one of the best science fiction films of all time. And also one of the best films of all time. Even the very serious British Film Institute ranked Blade Runner at its 54th position in its ranking of best films according to critics in 2022.

In Praise of Folie (à Deux) – Lèse-majesté

Critics are not always right, but their words are essential in cinema. About Joker: Folie à Deux, the terms used to express discontentment show that this film is sacrilegious and does not respect what a superhero is supposed to offer. John Wilmes in The Chicago Reader argues: “Set on tediously considering its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux offers nothing to the franchise”.

That might be one of the major crimes of “lèse-majesté”: The film does not seem to offer the possibility of a franchise, not even another sequel, let alone a spin-off or even a TV show set in the same universe. In other words: it is not DCU compatible. It does not respect the canon set by “spoiled grown male nerd children”.

Asbestos Lady and Condiment King

In the past, films were given time to develop a positive word of mouth effect. Which seems now impossible with the legions of fans who seem to guard online what they believe is the credo of their favorite subgenre. The problem of Joker: Folie à Deux might be precisely this: it is a film that is designed for a cinema audience, not for the fans. It is a film with references to all kinds of cultures: pop, high, low, geek, without finding any problem at considering the audience could connect to all in a kind of Multiculture.

But film “connoisseurs” might frown at any mention of a superhero movie, and MCU/DCU fans do not like that in the end. There is no possibility of The Joker to return on another plan or planet to team up with Wolverine and crush an uprising led by Asbestos Lady and Condiment King.

Marvel's Asbestos Lady and DC's Condiment King — Marvel’s Asbestos Lady (left) and DC’s Condiment King (right)

Better than the MCU

Joker: Folie à Deux is not perfect, but this is precisely what makes it a great film. Especially compared to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU is usually a blockbuster machine with expensive CGI, impeccable actors (even Olivia Coleman joined Secret Invasion, proving that the MCU has now “lettres de noblesse”), and massive worldwide marketing.

But the MCU has also become boring and resorting to narrative tricks such as the multiverse to become an obese all-you-can-eat cheap eatery instead of the sophisticated exotic buffet of superheroes it once promised.

In Praise of Folie (à Deux) – Let’s make it a folie à plusieurs!

Some speak of “superhero fatigue”. But it might be even worse: a superhero exhaustion that could lead to the end of the genre, at least for now. Superhero films had cycles of ups and downs, but have always been regenerated by smart scriptwriters and visionary directors. The end is near, Ragnarok is coming. Better think of the next super universe. Preferably with better scripts, and less multiverse. Joker: Folie à Deux is showing the way.

A film needs an audience, and there can be some mismatch. That is why this column is written. For those who still hesitate, trust me, Joker: Folie à Deux is for you. And as the title of the film is partly French, my conclusion would be borrowing from the same language: go and see it, and let’s make it a folie à plusieurs.