The Dual Worlds of Todd Phillips: From Comedic Hits to ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’
Making a directorial cameo, wanting to lick Amy Smart's toes in Road Trip to put a spin on the most iconic villains in comic history in Joker, Todd Phillips has demonstrated his artistic versatility for the past 24 years as Hollywood's top director.
Phillips awaits the public reception of his upcoming sequel to Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux, which will be released on October 3rd. The film takes place two years after Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) went on a murdering spree and now waits for his trial, facing the death penalty, in a psychiatric hospital, where he meets Harleen "Lee" Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga.
Outdoing the norms of another sequel, the film will be a musical built to tailor the twisted romance between Quin and Fleck.
Earlier in his career, Todd Phillips studied documentary filmmaking at NYU. During this time, he met a punk rocker named GG Allin, who was also a heroin addict and enjoyed defecating on stage during performances. Phillips began to follow the performer on the road, capturing every moment. In an interview with Variety, when asked about Allin, Phillips responded how, "He was a fascinating guy, but obviously flawed and fucked up and dark as anything, to be around that for a year with him, it was no joke." Phillips released the documentary titled Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies in 1993, months before Allin's death from a drug overdose.
For his next project, Frat House, released in 1998 and co-directed by Andrew Gurland, Phillips transitioned to living the college lifestyle. Phillips went through the pledging process himself at one school and understood the military bond these young men shared during these times together. Male loyalty and camaraderie became a common theme in Phillips's next films.
Todd Phillips broke through 2000 with Road Trip - his first feature film. The college comedy follows a student who must race to his girlfriend's college to retrieve a videotape she cannot see. Being his first film, Phillips didn't know what to do or where to start before his first day on set. So, Phillips called executive producer Ivan Reitman and asked him what to do. In his Variety interview, Phillips recounted how Reitman told him, "Go get a bagel and coffee. Then, pop into the makeup trailer and say hi to the actors. Then go find the first A.D." And Phillips followed Reitman's orders step by step.
The success of Road Trip marked Phillips's place in the comedy genre. But "Our guy Rog" (Bill Simmons) gave Road Trip two stars and called it "mellow and dirty, which is the wrong combination." Roger Ebert also commented, "There were several moments in the movie where I did indeed laugh, and the characters are likable when they are not being required to act dirty for the transient purposes of the screenplay." Did Ebert miss the mark? Was Road Trip meant to give critics something to praise or for the young adults who saw it in 2000 and passed it down to generations to watch and enjoy the film today? Phillips fans can refer back to the film's fine cultural aging to appreciate the writer/director's early work.
Road Trip is one of the most essential buddy films of the last 25 years. The film's characters, Tom Green as Barry and DJ Qualls as Kyle, build the film's story enough for the dramatic journey of the main character, Josh, played by Breckin Meyer. And, of course, the great Sean William Scott as E.C. always delivers in this film and his other early 2000s films (American Pie franchise, Dude Where's My Car?). But for anyone who bought tickets to Road Trip and was told at the marquee by 'Madame Fortuna' that the director would go on to make one of the most vital character study dramas of this century, no one would believe it. The stock would still not be bought if viewers were told the same thing before seeing Phillips's other films, like the Starsky & Hutch remake, Old School, or The Hangover trilogy.
Before directing Joker, Phillips directed War Dogs, a comedy crime film starring a post Whiplash Miles Teller, and a post 'Apex Mountain' run, Jonah Hill. The film is loosely based on a true story, as two men win a three million dollar contract from the Pentagon to supply weapons to America's allies in Afghanistan. An underrated film of Phillips, and if he continued to make pictures like these, would people stop talking about him? Would the lust of The Hangover or Old School dissipate if Joker doesn't appear after War Dogs? Most likely. And with the sensitive climate of today's film viewers, Phillips would be constricted and eventually tarnish his comedic muscle and image had he continued to make comedies in place of Joker.
Making the pivot from comedy to drama from a directorial standpoint is a smooth transition rather than a dramatic artist switching over to comedy. For Todd Phillips, the characters in his films are all struggling with their personal identity and being able to get comfortable and accept life at a certain age. That's why there are scenes where Will Ferrell's character in Old School goes streaking after funneling one too many beers, and his wife picks him up, embarrassed. Or Ed Helms's buttoned-up dentist character in The Hangover movies who wakes up with a tooth missing and drunkenly marrying a prostitute. These instances of outbursts and unhinged behavior in Phillips's films can attract him to a project like Joker.
The versatility of a director speaks to the talent of a true artist.
Joker: Folie à Deux premieres in theaters today.
