Quentin Tarantino says he loved “Joker: Folie à Deux” and emphasizes that director Todd Phillips is the Joker himself
“Joker: Folie à Deux” might be a major shameful flop—the biggest compared to its predecessor—but it has won a notable admirer in the film industry: Quentin Tarantino. Unlike critics, the public, and other professionals in the field, Tarantino had only praise to offer.
The director of “The Hateful Eight” didn’t hold back when discussing Todd Phillips’ sequel during his appearance on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast: “I really, really liked it, a lot”, he declared (via World of Reel). “It was an incredible experience, and I went to the cinema expecting to be impressed by the way it was made. However, I thought it would be a distant intellectual approach that, in the end, wouldn’t work as a movie but that I would acknowledge for what it is”.
“I really let myself get involved in it. The musical sequences won me over. The simpler the songs, the better they were”, he explained. “Just like the first film had a strong influence from ‘Taxi Driver’, this one seems to have a very intense relationship with ‘Natural Born Killers,’ which I wrote”.
He continued, “This is the ‘Natural Born Killers’ I would have dreamed of seeing as the creator of Mickey and Mallory. I loved what they did with the story. I really liked the direction it took. I mean, the whole movie felt like a fever dream of Mickey Knox”. Tarantino also mentioned how he found “Joker: Folie à Deux” funny. He caught himself laughing out loud in an IMAX theater in Tel Aviv. Fortunately, the theater was almost empty, so he didn’t disturb anyone: “I know I’m laughing at scenes that probably wouldn’t make others laugh”, he noted.
Tarantino then warmly credited Todd Phillips for bringing the essence of the Joker in a way that tricked the studio: “Todd Phillips is the Joker. The Joker directed the movie. The whole concept, even the way he spent the studio’s money—he spent it as the Joker would, right? And the big surprise gift—haha!—is the jack-in-the-box, when he reaches out for a handshake and you get a 10,000-volt electric shock—it’s the comic book nerds”, he commented.
“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 whoever owns shares in DC and Warner Brothers”, Tarantino added.
