Lady Gaga Insists 'Joker 2' Isn't a Musical, Just a Movie Where People Randomly Burst into Song

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | September 4, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | September 4, 2024 |

Lots of musicals are terrible. Like any art form, you are going to find plenty of examples that are not good. There is always a subjectivity to these kinds of things, but bad musicals can be a little easier to pin down. One big indicator that you are watching a bad musical is the songs. That may seem obvious, but it’s not just whether or not the songs are bad. The question is: are the songs moving the plot forward?

Many musicals have songs just for the sake of having songs. This problem is recurrent in jukebox musicals (but not exclusive to them). In bad musicals, people start singing because they’ve reached the point of the musical where they are supposed to sing. Then, when the song ends, it may as well not have happened. It doesn’t affect the plot or move the character forward. It’s just a song.

This should be common knowledge. Not everyone loves musicals, but there should be an understanding. There likely is! There are people in the world who don’t like or study musicals but still know when they are watching a bad one. That should go double for people who, I don’t know, attended NYU and became a successful and artfully minded pop performer. In short, apologies if you do not already know this information because this piece is for Lady Gaga.

Gaga has been a musical force during her career. Her elaborate performances and catchy tunes have made her a global mega-star. She parlayed that fame into acting, first taking on small roles in film and television. Her turn in Bradley Cooper’s take on A Star Is Born made it undeniable that her acting career was legit. Since then, she has been chasing an Oscar.

Her next attempt to snag the coveted statue will come in Joker: Folie Á Deux. Gaga plays the titular character’s sidekick, Harley Quinn (or at least a version of that character). Since she has been added to the film, it was revealed that the movie would be a musical. Now, it seems they are pushing back on the narrative they created. When asked about the film being a musical, Gaga said “It’s very different.” Interesting! What could this new, different thing be?

“The music is a way to give the characters a way to express themselves because the dialogue wasn’t enough,” the star explained. Here’s the thing: that’s exactly what a musical is! Yes, the bad ones don’t always adhere to that description, but what she is describing is a musical. Maybe the crew is aware that musicals don’t play well with general audiences. They’re trying to get out in front of that descriptor. The trailers certainly don’t portray a full-on musical. But to say the movie isn’t one and explain why by describing a musical feels like a joke (no pun intended).

Lady Gaga doesn’t view #Joker2 as a musical.

Gaga says “the music is used to really give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and dialogue is just not enough” #Venezia81 pic.twitter.com/XV5tmmrhY9

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 4, 2024