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Unlike its predecessor,Joker: Folie à Deuxhas brutally failed to fare between both critics and general audiences, with a minority still standing up in praise for it. Turns out, one of Hollywood’s most renowned veterans, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is also included in the list of people who seemed to have“really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously.”
To say the least, the director, who is famed for having tamed pieces likePulp Fictionand theKill Billfilm series, found himself discovering and praising influences of a script he wrote 30 years ago inJoker 2. But the best part about Tarantino’s review is his theory in one statement about the director’s approach to helming this piece: “Todd Phillipsisthe Joker.”
Quentin Tarantino FeelsJoker 2Has Been Influenced byNatural Born Killers
Over three decades ago, Quentin Tarantino delivered the 1994 crime actionNatural Born Killers— a piece appreciated by fans but failed to fare finely among critics simultaneously. It starredWoody HarrelsonandJuliette Lewisin the lead as Mickey and Mallory — two lovers with a violent childhood, who go on a killing spree on a road trip while the tabloid media glamourized them.
30 years later, the filmmaker is once again being reminded of the screenplay he wrote back then for the film through Phillips’ recently releasedJoker: Folie à Deux— a viciously received and critically panned box-office bomb sequel to the 2019 masterpiece,Joker. If anything, Tarantino likensJoaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck andLady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel to Mickey and Mallory.
Fawning in praise of the piece, he said on theBret Easton Ellis Podcast(via MovieMaker):
As much as the first one was indebted to Taxi Driver, this seems pretty f—ing indebted toNatural Born Killers, which I wrote. That’s theNatural Born KillersI would have dreamed of seeing, as the guy who created Mickey and Mallory. Ilovedwhat they did with it. Ilovedthe direction he took. I mean, the whole movie was the fever dream of Mickey Knox.
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It’s worth noting that, back then, while the story was given by Tarantino, the one taming the 1994 wild ride wasn’t him. Rather, it was brought to life byOliver Stone, and theDjango Unchaineddirector feels this live-action version seemed to misunderstand his script. That said, finding what he wanted to see of his script inFolie à Deux, he was obviously greatly impressed.
But even this wasn’t the best part aboutQuentin Tarantino‘s unhinged review of this exclusive piece that is being deemed a disaster by everyone else. While the“I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously”praise is one, what is actually catching light about his words on the film is his theory about the filmmaker’s approach to directing theJokersequel, with a statement that many would find hard not to agree with.
“Todd Phillipsisthe Joker”: Quentin Tarantino’s Theory onFolie à Deux
Continuing during the same episode of the podcast, Tarantino confessed that he laughed like crazy and even shed tears at one point while watchingFolie à Deux. At the same time, he also offered a perspective on the approach directorTodd Phillipsseems to have taken with taming the film: The filmmaker, who holds the reigns of this film, is the Joker himself. As the genius explained:
Todd Phillips is the Joker. 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, all right? And then his big surprise gift — haha! — the jack in the box, when he offers you his hand for a handshake and you get a buzzer with 10,000 volts shooting you — is the comic book geeks.
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Per the theory, through this piece, Phillips seems to be flipping everyone off, beingthe Clown Prince of Crime himself. Tarantino said,
He’s saying f— you to all of them. He’s saying f— you to the movie audience. He’s saying f— you to Hollywood. He’s saying f— you to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers. This is under the Clive Barker rules of subversion at a massive level.Joker 2applies under that category, under every shape and form. And Todd Phillips is the Joker.Un film de Joker,all right, is what it is. He is the Joker.
Well, for what it’s worth, this genius theory offered by the mastermind Tarantino most certainly isan interesting perspectiveto view this entire story. What remains to be seen is how fans interpret the movie after crossing lanes with this point of view.
Joker:Folie à Deuxis now available to watch on digital video-on-demand sites like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango At Home.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
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Joaquin PhoenixJoker: Folie A DeuxJuliette LewisLady GagaOliver StoneQuentin TarantinoTodd PhillipsWoody Harrelson
