Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in Joker 2 is a bit disappointing

How many Jokers have we had in the last 15 years? Many, perhaps too many. There was Jared Leto's much-criticized Joker in Suicide Squad, the hidden potential in Robert Pattinson's Batman that has yet to fully emerge, Christopher Nolan's perhaps most successful portrayal, brilliantly played by Heath Ledger, and of course, Todd Phillips' Joker, the least Joker-like of them all, which just came out with its second installment, Joker: Folie à Deux. Not all of them had a corresponding Harley Quinn, though we have seen several versions of her over the years. Our favorite? Probably the one played by Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey. The one that disappointed us? Lady Gaga's Lee alongside Joaquin Phoenix.

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A Joker that's not really a Joker and a Harley Quinn that's too much Harley Quinn

Why were we disappointed? Because we're presented with a shallow character, a manic pixie girl who doesn't seem worthy—at least in the director and writer's view—of depth or nuance. A troubled individual who, through her twisted love, drags our protagonist—who was doing poorly but not terribly, and seemed willing to follow the reasonable, well-intentioned path set by a lawyer—into the abyss, confused between reality and fiction, man and character, murderous intent, and a desire for fame in any form. Unfortunately, for her character, this is nothing new. Harley Quinn has often been written, drawn, and scripted purely as a function of the Joker, often submissive or serving only to develop his character—always fascinating and polarizing, never independent. This film, presented in Venice, highly anticipated and talked about from the start, is no exception.

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One problem among many (poor Lady Gaga)

The rest isn't much more in-depth either, quite the opposite. It feels like an interesting conceptual spark (potentially an exploration of the public’s obsession with sensationalized crime cases and the impact of media speculation on trials and those involved) was squeezed into yet another formulaic film, filling the gaps with songs, flawless digital cinematography, and overall competent direction. In this swirl of emptiness and dilution, the leads are also lost, despite the impressive range of Joaquin Phoenix and a decent performance by Lady Gaga. But with such a shallow and outdated character and a terribly weak script, how could our Stefani Germanotta have done any better?

lady gaga