Quentin Tarantino really liked the "f*ck you to Hollywood" Joker: Folie à Deux – "Todd Phillips is the Joker"

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The director was a fan

Joker: Folie À Deux Easter eggs
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

While Joker: Folie à Deux might not have been a huge hit at the box office or with critics, legendary director Quentin Tarantino was a big fan. 

In an interview on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, the filmmaker shared that he "really, really liked it," and commented that he thinks the movie "seems pretty fucking indebted to Natural Born Killers," a movie he himself wrote (H/T World of Reel). He also praised the musical sequences and Joaquin Phoenix's performance, and he shared he found the movie "really funny." 

Plus, he revealed is thoughts on director Todd Phillips. "Todd Phillips is the Joker. The Joker directed the movie. The entire concept, even him spending the studio's money – he's spending it like the Joker would spend it, all right? And then his big surprise gift – haha! – the jack in the box, when he offers you his hand for a handshake and you get a buzzer with 10,000 volts shooting you – is the comic book geeks. 

"He's saying fuck you to all of them. He's saying fuck you to the movie audience," Tarantino continued. "He's saying fuck you to Hollywood. He's saying fuck you to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers… And Todd Phillips is the Joker. Un film de Joker, all right, is what it is. He is the Joker."

Joker: Folie à Deux sees Joaquin Phoenix return as Arthur Fleck, AKA the Joker himself, while Lady Gaga joins the cast as Lee Quinzel. 

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.