TJ-2025

This is one of those films you go into with high hopes. The cast is undeniably strong, and the premise sounds promising. But within ten minutes, the characters become insufferable. Garfield portrays a feeble, uninspiring man working for Weetabix, while Pugh is cast as a hyper-masculine, ex-figure-skating Michelin-starred chef. Both roles are grating and lack authenticity.

The love story is cloyingly sweet, with Garfield behaving more like her therapist or doctor than a partner, constantly coddling and pandering to her whims. Their lifestyle is equally contrived, transitioning seamlessly from a chic townhouse to an idyllic country cottage. Then, predictably, tragedy strikes-cancer! But rather than delving into the emotional weight of the diagnosis, it's brushed off with a shallow head shave, some laughter, and an overly romanticised love-making scene.

The whole thing feels overblown, disconnected from reality, and painfully forced. It's as if someone tried to recreate About Time but stripped away the genuine emotion and humor, replacing them with exaggerated, ridiculous melodrama.

It's rare a film brings a tear to my eyes. But this is something special - the journey to redemption. You don't need to be an alcoholic to appreciate this, you just need a past. Everyone on the planet should watch this.

All you need to figure out is how to reach that place. The film says it's from many places and that's why I didn't give this a 10/10. You can only find it in one place - you probably know where.

The art direction is sublime -Saoirse is phenomenal and deserves an Oscar nomination. Last thing you need to remember is to stay to the end of the credits. You might hear a little birdie.

If you've not seen this, my advice would be to go on open minded, preferably the creative part of your brain. Don't worry about it being a sort of musical, that only adds to the drama that unfolds.

So what is this movie like? You know if you're someone who watched this on its release back in September, you'd have been optimistic going in and disappointed going out. Conversely, I went into this pessimistically and came out pleasantly surprised. I don't know what this is? It's a bit like a modern art painting in an exclusive gallery, or a fine art print from a designer shop, at first you're not quite sure if it's good or bad so you settle with 'it's cool' - then it grows on you, then you grow to love it. That's what Joker: Folie a Deux is - not a comic book - but rather a work of massively understated fine art.

Folie à Deux is more difficult to enjoy than its predecessor. Its bleak tone and tragedy will be difficult for your average human being. Put it this way, it's no coincidence that they picked Phoenix and GaGa for this film.