Singing and smoking: That’s the crux of this sequel. Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) spends most of this movie in jail or court. Along the way he meets Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) and they sing about their love. Every time there’s a random thought or flight of fantasy, the film goes into musical mode with one or both of them singing from the classics songbook. I have to commend writer/director Todd Philips for this bold swing, while I condemn him for making smoking glamorous in almost every scene. Untrue to the series is the lack of much violence. The performances are intense and there is plenty of strong visual imagery, but the pace drags constantly and the length is too much (2:18). Even worse, the brave concept fails miserably and even the musical numbers get tedious. 
(1.5 / 5)
