By Pavethran Batmanathen

Paul Schrader, the renowned writer behind Taxi Driver and an accomplished filmmaker, didn’t hold back in sharing his opinion about Joker: Folie à Deux. The much-anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 hit Joker has faced a wave of negative reviews, and it’s now being recognized as one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments. In a recent interview with Interview magazine, Schrader revealed his less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the film, admitting he walked out of the theater after about 20 minutes.

When asked about his thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux, Schrader explained, “I saw about 10 or 15 minutes of it. I left, bought something, came back, saw another 10 minutes. That was enough.” He continued by criticizing the movie, describing it as “a really bad musical.” Schrader didn’t stop there, adding, “I don’t like either of those people. I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door.”

The film, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, was directed by Todd Phillips and hit theaters on October 4. Despite being one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year, Joker: Folie à Deux quickly became a letdown at the U.S. and global box office. It earned $37.8 million during its opening weekend, but its performance plummeted in the weeks that followed. The movie also received a dreadful D rating from CinemaScore, further hampered by poor word of mouth.

Meanwhile, Schrader’s latest directorial project, Oh Canada, premiered at the New York Film Festival. The film, based on Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Foregone, features an impressive cast that includes Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, and Jacob Elordi. While Schrader’s film has been making waves on the festival circuit, his scathing critique of Joker: Folie à Deux has added to the growing controversy surrounding the troubled sequel.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/taxi-driver-writer-paul-schrader-could-watch-only-15-minutes-of-joker-folie-deux-a-really-bad-musical-101729065571840.html, Picture Credits: Reddit