The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck (The Killer Inside Me) I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line Gladiator). With remarkable access the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. Joaquin outrageous antics feature fellow A-listers P. Diddy Ben Stiller and a now infamous appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. The film is a portrait of an artist... at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye. [show more]
My name is Joaquin ####ing Phoenix, I'm a ####ing Oscar winning actor but I'm going to throw away my entire ####ing career to be a ####ing two-bit hip-hop artist. I was ####ing amazing dude in Walk the Line as Johnny Cash. But I'm ####ing tired of getting my ####ing hair cut, #### it, let it ####ing grow and my beard dude, what the ####? I'll just let that ####ing grow too. I'm tired of acting, I'm tired of press junkets and interviews, so I was thinking, you know, #### my career, I'm going to make a mockumentary/documentary about myself and get my brother-in-law to direct and film it. #### yeah, that'll be really ####ing funny. Everyone will ####ing love me and even when they find out it was a ####ing hoax they'll still ####ing love me.
No Phoenix we won't, you have acted like a complete jerk and your film is mind-numbingly dull for all of its bloated 100-plus minutes. The previous paragraph is a close approximation / attempt at a humorous praody of what happens in the film. Honestly it's a total waste of celluloid and Phoenix should be ashamed of himself and this pathetic attempt at whatever the hell this is: self-deprecation / self-promotion?
Whatever it is - it's terrible.
At what point did Phoenix think that this was a good idea? At what point did he think it would be funny? Was there ever a point when, while spending months making this film, he realised that it was a total waste of time?
The press knew that it was a hoax. The fans knew it was a hoax. The general public, most of which probably didn't even care, knew it was a hoax. Phoenix has made a complete fool of himself and so has Casey Affleck for agreeing to participate in the whole charade.
In case you hadn't worked it out already, I'm Still Here is a mockumentary following the life of Joaquin Phoenix. It apparently shows him announcing his retirement from acting and attempting to become a hip-hop artist. Phoenix remained in character throughout, including during interviews, press junkets, and even real-life talk shows such as Letterman.
However I'm Still Here is not funny, it's not insightful, it's not interesting, it's not anything but a waste of money and time. If I'd seen this film at the cinema I'd have walked out. I'm glad that I saw it on DVD because I was able to fast-forward parts and eventually turn it off. I was glad that I was able to turn it off and I make no apology for doing so.
The film includes needlessly profane language, pointless nudity, drug use and other crude content. I'm going to have a hard time ever taking Phoenix seriously as an actor again when he inevitably picks up his career. He was excellent in Walk the Line, The Village, and even in less well known or loved films such as his most recent effort Two Lovers, or older films such as 8MM or Signs but I don't think I want to see him acting again. He's a fantastic singer as seen in Walk the Line but it's obvious that he doesn't really want to be a hip-hop artist. But if he really does want to throw away his acting career then making I'm Still Here was the perfect way to do it. What director, or actor, would want to work with him now? It's a simple as this, whatever Phoenix was trying to do: poke fun celebrity life, explore the relationship between the media, celebrities and the public, or just have a bit of a laugh, I think he has done it at our expense, and I think that is pretty much unforgivable.
Phoenix is clearly a gifted actor but he is squandering his talent with rubbish like this.
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Faux documentary following a year in the life of award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix. Beginning in autumn 2008, the film focuses on Phoenix's decision to move away from the acting world into music, more specifically hip hop, and follows the star's transition into this new industry, which includes him attempting to persuade Sean 'Diddy' Combs to produce his album. Phoenix only revealed the whole thing was a spoof after it had been shown in US cinemas. The film also marks the directorial debut of actor Casey Affleck, Phoenix's friend and brother-in-law.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck (The Killer Inside Me), I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, Gladiator). With remarkable access, the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. Joaquin outrageous antics feature fellow A-listers P. Diddy, Ben Stiller and a now infamous appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
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