A lip reader has provided an interpretation of what Joaquin Phoenix might have said to Lady Gaga after they viewed the new Joker film.
The movie, Joker: Folie à Deux, which is a follow-up to the 2019 Joker, premiered in the US earlier this month to largely negative critiques.
Currently, the film holds a 33 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with some audience members reportedly leaving the theater an hour into the movie due to disappointment.
Phoenix and Lady Gaga, who both feature in the new Joker installment, were observed having a private conversation after a screening at a film festival.
Video clips of their discussion have surfaced on social media, leading many to speculate about the content of their conversation.
It should be noted that lip reading involves interpretation, so it’s uncertain exactly what Phoenix and Gaga were discussing.
Additionally, Phoenix often had his back to the camera, yet the lip reader’s interpretation appears to align with the film’s reviews.
“Someone should use that AI lip reader that I keep seeing on here to figure out what they were saying,” proposed a Twitter user.
Utilizing the AI tool ‘Read Their Lips’, Phoenix reportedly described the film as ‘horrible’, while Gaga countered by saying it was not.
Phoenix further expressed that the ending ‘could have been different’, whereas Gaga maintained that she ‘loved it’.
The sequel to Joker has received critical backlash, coupled with director Todd Phillips’ statement that he is ready to move on from the series.
When queried about the chance of a spin-off film focused on Gaga’s Harley Quinn character introduced in Joker 2, Phillips told The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s not really where this movie is headed for me. I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two films.”
Discussing Gaga’s involvement, the director remarked: “I think we sent her half the script, and she texted me pretty quickly that she was really into it, that she loved it and everything you want to hear.
“I went out to her house, and we met about what it was going to be, the rest of it, because we hadn’t written it yet.
“[Co-writer] Scott Silver and I are notoriously slow writers.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, one reviewer commented: “This film was so bad that I joined Rotten Tomatoes for the first time ever just to leave it a review.”
Another review stated: “As Jeremy Jahns would like to say… not gonna remember this one in T-minus one day.”
A third review criticized: “Its story was slow and boring and never really went anywhere with the story. Way too much Lady Gaga singing. Didn’t like the ending either.”
However, some viewers had a positive reaction to the film.
A five-star review praised: “It’s probably not for everybody. Those who have depth and have the ability to lose themselves in the story will love it. The acting was phenomenal.”
Another review complimented: “Tour de force from Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga! Beautiful movie, heartbreaking, excellent.”
And another added: “The best Joker out of all the Jokers. Very cerebral movie with lots of references to the shadow self, the part of the human psyche which the ego does not see.”
Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in cinemas worldwide.