Quentin Tarantino Loves "Joker: Folie à Deux"—Even Though It Bombed!
Tarantino's Shocking Take: A "Giant Mess" That He Totally Loved!
Get this: Quentin Tarantino is a HUGE fan of Joker: Folie à Deux—even though it completely tanked at the box office, scoring only 32% on Rotten Tomatoes! This was a surprising reaction; and a surprising level of support that made this sequel to that widely-praised and highly-acclaimed original 2019 Joker even more worthy of further analysis!
During an appearance on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, Tarantino praised it immensely; He explained exactly what his reaction was: “I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the Filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is. And I’m just nihilistic enough to kind of enjoy a movie that doesn’t quite work as a movie or that’s like a big, giant mess to some degree. And I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it.” He continued and explicitly praised it. It was called "a really funny film," adding that the "musical sequences" were also amazing. His comments are incredibly unique. This really showcases how varied people's reactions might become toward films that were considered critical and commercial failures.
Tarantino's Praise for Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips' Bold Vision
Tarantino gave serious kudos to Joaquin Phoenix; stating his performance is “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life.” His directorial and overall approach? Just amazing too. This particular moment shows the sheer amount of praise, as this is one of the most exceptional compliments a major director might provide toward another major figure within the film industry. Tarantino even compares it to his own script for Natural Born Killers, praising the director Todd Phillips, calling him the actual “Joker” behind the whole movie’s creation; “the Joker directed the movie. The entire concept, even him spending the studio’s money– he’s spending it like the Joker would spend it. He’s saying ‘fuck you’ to everyone. The movie audience. Hollywood. Anyone with DC and Warner Brothers stock… Todd Phillips is the Joker”.
This perspective focuses not only on the actor and director's performance but on a much deeper thematic aspect—the defiance displayed when going against critical and fan expectations. This adds to Tarantino's own statement that Todd Phillips intentionally antagonized many—those comic book fans, viewers, and those movie studio executives! Those moments add incredibly impressive insight to Phillips overall strategic objectives and creative direction, showing the sheer amounts of courage and willingness to take extremely large risks. It really showcases the creative freedom many artists struggle to get in such constrained productions. This kind of risk would otherwise remain unprecedented; a courageous choice made and implemented with such apparent success!
A Box Office Bomb That’s Somehow…Brilliant?
Joker: Folie à Deux had a seriously disastrous performance; making less than $60 million domestically after that initial release, bringing about extremely significant financial losses for Warner Bros.; showing just how hard predicting audiences' interests and reactions is, showing the inherent difficulty when dealing with productions on this kind of massive scale! This created such high levels of negative reaction initially. However, this film is lauded even in some major publications.
This contrast between commercial failure and those great reviews, however doesn't seem to contradict those high praise directed at the project itself. It's this particular situation and level of unexpected, out-of-the-blue support provided by such high-profile industry individuals like Tarantino, and his reasoning: His perspective isn’t to necessarily claim that the entire project's outcome is completely objectively successful in all elements; It's a critical analysis on creative decisions. He didn't need everything to work. The inherent risks were calculated choices from the director who chose to fully make a creative statement without seeking audience approval. And in that case; that success shows precisely how much courage; that determination to break typical expectations; was worth those creative risks. And it makes you wonder: Was the movie's failure more to do with marketing than overall quality? Was it merely misunderstood?
Comparing Reactions: Tarantino vs. Schrader and Others
Many critics despised the movie; many did not even give it any needed attention; even the most recognizable of people gave only very brief insights. The contrasting perspectives highlight once again exactly why the reaction to Folie à Deux was varied. The film industry, as noted here, and even in various academic papers emphasizes the extreme degree to which critic evaluations might differ and not only differ greatly among one another, but those reactions vary greatly depending upon cultural contexts. It showcases yet again the importance behind understanding each context when creating this specific level of discourse. This also showcases another important issue; those creative expressions; do not need perfect results; some imperfections might make some pieces truly more valuable than initially perceived. It's precisely the director's embrace of chaotic storytelling choices that elevated Joker 2 as something extremely different. This contrasts to Paul Schrader; this auteur expressed disdain towards this work: He didn't get more than 25 minutes.
Conclusion: A Divisive Film, With Unexpected Love!
Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the most widely disliked films for a period. Its commercial failures don’t stop people from expressing their admiration. Those great opinions coming from Tarantino, are an indication toward the various aspects the audience might need to discover to truly see why there were some underlying aspects behind this project; It's a complex and emotionally challenging piece that truly pushes those boundaries; showing that those decisions towards challenging established norms have surprising levels of success that are only discovered after the events transpire. Its ending might be considered very provocative yet it seems highly valued to this acclaimed director. What makes it interesting and worthwhile discussing involves those highly varied perspectives – not to mention highlighting the importance of understanding those varying criteria before judging such controversial creations and other highly unexpected artistic choices! That entire artistic approach was far too different; yet in that context – is where some might recognize true value and merit. And Tarantino’s own comments emphasize these critical points brilliantly!
