Skip to main content

Joker: Folie à Deux actor says he was in the worst film ever made

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix hold microphones in Joker 2.
Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s fair to say that Joker: Folie à Deux did not receive the same kind of warm reception as its predecessor. The movie was a flop both critically and commercially, and now, one of the actors who appeared in the film is publicly trashing it. Comedian Tim Dillon, who has a small role in the film, recently called it “the worst film ever made” during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.

“I think what happened, after the first Joker, there was a lot of talk like, ‘Oh, this was loved by incels. This was loved by the wrong kinds of people. This sent the wrong kind of message. Male rage! Nihilism!’ All these think pieces,” he explained. “And then I think [they said], ‘What if we went the other way,’ and now they have Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga tap dancing to a point where it’s insane.”

Joker: Folie À Deux | Official Trailer

Dillon added, “It has no plot. We would sit there, me and these other guys were all dressed in these security outfits because we’re working at the Arkham Asylum, and I would turn to one of them and we’d hear this crap and I’d go, ‘What the [expletive] is this?’ And they’d go, ‘This is going to bomb, man.’ I go, ‘This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.’ We were talking about it at lunch, and we’d go, ‘What is the plot? Is there a plot? I don’t know, I think he falls in love with her in the prison?’ It’s not even hate-watchable. That’s how terrible it is.”

Recommended Videos

Whether you agree with Dillon’s diagnosis or not, it’s pretty clear that audiences were not happy with the final product. Joker: Folie à Deux was reviled by almost everyone who saw it and failed to make even half of what its predecessor did.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Joe Allen
Joe Allen is a freelance writer at Digital Trends, where he covers Movies and TV. He frequently writes streaming…
Here’s why Joker: Folie à Deux is better than you think
A man in white suit smiles in Joker: Folie a Deux.

Director Todd Phillips' Joker: Folie à Deux has premiered in theaters, shocking the world as one of the biggest commercial and critical disappointments of 2024. Given the extraordinary success and impact of the original film, there was little chance it would live up to such incredible expectations. And since not everyone is a fan of musicals, the reception was bound to be divisive. While this sequel has its fair share of flaws, it certainly isn't worse than Morbius or Madame Web, as some pundits are suggesting.

It goes without saying that Joaquin Phoenix's and Gaga's mesmerizing performances are highlights of the film. However, there are many redeeming qualities that make it one of the most distinctive and thought-provoking comic book films in recent years. Since the hate train for this film is still letting out steam, here's why Joker: Folie à Deux is far from the worst DC movie of all time.

Read more
What went wrong with Joker 2? Why Joker: Folie à Deux bombed big-time
Joker and Harley look at something in Joker: Folie a Deux.

á

In 2019, Joker was a massive success for Warner Bros., director Todd Phillips, and Joaquin Phoenix, who went on to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his turn as Arthur Fleck/Joker. It broke records for an R-rated film and finished with $1.079 billion worldwide. With that kind of money, it's easy to see why Warner Bros. wanted a sequel so badly. And thus all roads led to Joker 2, which is better known as Joker: Folie à Deux. In case you were wondering, the subtitle means "madness for two," but there may be more than two people going mad at Warner Bros. over the opening weekend that Folie à Deux had.

Read more
Joker 2 sets a historic new low for comic book movies
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix hold microphones in Joker 2.

Joker: Folie à Deux has officially fallen farther than any other comic book movie in at least one noteworthy metric.

The hype surrounding the once highly anticipated sequel to 2019's Joker has been on a steady decline ever since the initial, lukewarm reactions to it started to come following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in early September. A month later, the film has received largely negative reviews from both critics and casual viewers alike. It is also expected to fall short in its first weekend of its predecessor's $96 million box office opening.

Read more