You know what I think? I think Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix are truly disappointed by the collective “meh” their “documentary” I’m Still Here has generated. Casey was in Venice to promote the film (which he directed), and was noticeably glum (c-nt) about doing press, insisting that “there is no hoax” and that everything we see Joaquin doing in the film is real. So just what happens in the “documentary” you ask? Oh, lots of goodies. Joaquin’s disgruntled employee sh-ts in Joaquin’s mouth. Joaquin does some blow and whines, and hires some hookers. More whining. Probably the whole thing could be filed under “Masturbatory Aids, For Joaquin Only.”
Joaquin Phoenix shocked Hollywood in 2008 when he announced his retirement from acting to pursue a career as a hip-hop artist. But the ensuing Casey Affleck-directed documentary, “I’m Still Here,” makes Phoenix look as serious about his rap career as “Borat” was about benefiting the glorious nation of Kazakhstan.
However, the Academy Award nominee does highlight some interesting truths about life as an oh-so-serious-actor beneath his adopted bushy beard.
“I don’t want to play a character anymore… some dumb funny puppet,” Phoenix explains in the film, before slamming his (former) actors as falsely believing they are being “all creative, when acting isn’t creativity at all.”
But in his “transition” into a new music career, the seemingly lonely, pot-bellied 35-year-old epitomizes – or does he satirize? – the lifestyle typically associated with rock stars and movie stars.
Phoenix snorts cocaine, (or is powdered sugar?) has a wild night with hired hookers, (or are they hired extras?) and treats his assistant poorly. Said sober-living employee, who is accused in the film of selling insider information to the tabloids, eventually seeks revenge by defecating in Phoenix’s mouth as he sleeps. Charming.
The former actor’s antics and Affleck’s “direction” can be clever, yet more often come across as scripted, not spontaneous. Nonetheless, Affleck is standing firm that the film is legitimate. “I can tell you that there is no hoax. That never even entered into my consciousness until other people began to talk about the movie,” Affleck told reporters at the Venice Film Festival this week, where “I’m Still Here” premiered.
“I’m Still Here” is also laced with references to Phoenix’s childhood, his fear of jumping off a cliff into a river in the family’s Panama vacation home, and footage of the Phoenix kids performing in a Westwood talent quest. Although there is no direct reference to brother River Phoenix’s fatal drug overdose outside the Viper Room in 1993, one can’t help but be disturbed by Joaquin’s amped up drug use as reference to the sinister side of stardom, a life he chose to lead but now looks to be trying to escape.
And if you thought Phoenix was immune to all the jokes about his “homeless” guise following his “retirement,” think again. In the film, the ex-actor constantly Googles himself, wincing at the blogs and bad press, and looks distraught when Ben Stiller dresses up as him and mocks his appearance at the Oscars.
Phoenix also watches reruns of his now infamous 2009 interview on “The Late Show” with David Letterman in which he can barely string together two sentences. But again, was Phoenix putting on an act with Dave? Because a source at the taping of the Letterman show told FOX411.com that while Phoenix appeared anxious and annoyed during the interview, the vibe was quite different during the commercial breaks, as he and host were chatting and laughing.
After 108 minutes of beyond plausible insanity, complete with following Diddy around the country in desperation for him to hear his music, and making snow angels in Central Park, the question remains: is this really the last time we’ll see Phoenix on the big screen? While Phoenix’s hip-hop music career is most likely dead in the water (we pray), was the film just a two-year social experiment, or has Phoenix really quit acting for good?
The “Walk the Line” star has no future projects listed anywhere, so if he is going to work again, he’s very good at keeping it a secret.
[From Fox News]
Yeah. So basically, this was all an “act” – but an act specifically designed to exhibit how “clever” they are and as an excuse to do drugs and f-ck hookers and bitch and moan and complain about how hard it is being an A-List actor. It’s self-indulgent. Now, maybe this is my old crush on Joaquin talking, but wouldn’t you watch a real documentary about his life? Like, I would love to really hear him speak about drugs and River and friendship and Hollywood enablers. But instead, we get this piece of garbage. Whatever.
By the way, did you know that Joaquin has a new girlfriend? Her name is Aria Paradiso and she’s a model. You know, because Joaquin is so clever, he couldn’t rethink the oh-so-atypical “model girlfriend.” Here she is:
The only people I’ve ever come across who find him remotely talented, interesting or “crush worthy” is….ummmm….wait, I’ve NEVER come across anyone who was any of those things regarding this hideous excuse for a human.
He is lucky his brother was famous because without the Phoniex namesake, he would be lucky to find a job as a parking attendant at a hotel.
Seriously.
Shocking! No one is interested in a pretentious vanity project from a bunch of spoiled arrogant actors.
Someone’s about to get knocked off their pedestals.
So he snorts cocaine and hires hookers, is he a politician?
Wow…they are like…so deep & stuff.
I tend to think this doc is half truths and half fiction. Some of it may actually be how he feels about the hollywood culture, but the rest, the rest is an embelishment to get an audience reaction and get it in the press.
whoa, that time as a “rapper” really aged him. he’s thinner but looks much older now.
don’t think it was worth it.
I think that girl and her dog are both too fluffy for Joaquin. It won’t last.
And next up… Sophia Coppla’s new movie…
loved him in a couple of movies he did but he was never crush worthy, always came across to me kinda weird…. alien in his own skin kinda thing….
I also think that this is half-truth – half-fiction. I agree that whether it’s about an actor playing the role or the role playing the actor, Joaquin offers the glimpse of hollywood culture and the ridiculous demands of the masses to see a star fall and “redeem” himself.
If you have seen Joaquin’s interviews from back in the day, he seems to be pretty fed up with the whole celebrity machine
I think he’s talented, charismatic, and, unfortunately, on the Lindsay Lohan/Tommy Lee Express Train to Self Destruction.
But, as Danielle of RHONJ would say: “Pay attention.”
Maybe the movie’s ‘meh’ reception is a hopeful sign. Perhaps people are wising up and refusing to buy bullsh*t from patronizing elitists who think their fans are idiots.
well, it may not have been a “hoax” in the sense that it was actually filmed, edited and released…it does EXIST, after all.
but I still firmly believe that the “unscripted” aspect of it is completely phony.
“I think Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix are truly disappointed by the collective “meh” their “documentary” I’m Still Here has generated.”
totally agree. I think they thought they’d be able to fool everyone, and then they’d say “oh, you stupid masses…it was all a JOKE!”
when in fact, most people were on to them from the get-go.
Should be titled “I’m still here but no one cares”. I have a soft spot in my heart for River Phoenix and his so sad short life so I always kinda thought I’d feel that way about Joaquin too. Nope, he just annoys me. I wish River was still alive 🙁
I think he’s an incredibly talented actor with a lot of actual crazy going on in his head.
I too think this was a half and half scenario, at least for him, while for Affleck, it was just plain exploitation of a troubled, semi-sane guy.
Vanity Fair gives some spoilers for what happens and its nuts. I was disgusted. Whatever if its a Hoax. He actually snorts coke and hires hookers and yells at his assistant who by the way takes a sh*t on him in the movie. Its disgusting. He comes across as a complete prick and he was on my “I would bone you no questions asked” list. The drug thing really turns me off. His brother passed away from a drug overdose, why does he do drugs? What exactly did he have a break down for? He tells someone in the film his suit cost more than what the person makes in entire month or something. Total prick.
I also can’t understand how Casey could film his own family member doing this. Why? Thats the creepy part of all of this. I am so going to see this though.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/09/is-im-still-here-a-hoax-and-24-other-urgent-questions.html
Joaquin is/was a fabulous actor.Period.
For those that are angry at the film and rolling their eyes at the narcissism – that is the point!
We are the target! We would much rather see a celebrity act grateful for their status and kiss/adopt babies and do charity work or, at the other end of the spectrum, crash and burn and then rise from the ashes.
He is thumbing his nose at Hollywood and the masses who worship “celebrity”
Joaquin is brilliant.
Ugh. Joaquin is still here and nobody gives a crap. Next.
Clay Pigeons was his best movie I think. I love that movie!
Got us all talking about it…myself included…was that not the point?
Got us all talking about it…myself included…was that not the point?
——————
I think the point is to get you to go and see this piece of garbage. It’s easy to get people talking about it that’s what a hollywood publicist is paid to do. If they didn’t have a powerful management team behind this fake piece of crapola, it never would have been screened at any movie festival and nobody would be talking about it.
I’ve liked his work in several films, but this one sounds decidedly uninteresting to me.
Casey Affleck documentary = epic fail!
He’s a brilliant actor. I honestly can’t see how anyone could think otherwise, but to each his/her own.
That said, I’ll pass on the documentary.
Majosha, I agree. I don’t see how it’s possible not to recognize what a great actor he is, if you’ve seen his movies- To Die For and Gladiator, especially. That’s why I find him so attractive- at least when he’s not sporting the homeless look. He’s amazingly talented!!
Plus, his drug use is likely exacerbated by his brother’s death. That’s often how that unfolds, irrational or not.
All that said, he clearly displays some major douchiness, which is a shame.
@Majosha: ITA. He is brilliant.
@Shi-gatsu: “He is thumbing his nose at Hollywood and the masses who worship “celebrity””
So then explain to me, why is he contributing to the machination of Hollywoodism by trying to make money off the movie? And also, if his point is to thumb his nose at us (the fans), he is failing, because he clearly needs his fans to come and watch him. Which they are failing to do.
Pass.
Very sad and makes me question the real reason(s) why a project like this was ever undertaken. It sounds no so much like an expose on Hollyweird but a cry for help (yes, and attention) from an unwell man.
Brilliant actor or not, after this hideous display, I hope no one gives him a job ever again. This kind of self-absorbed, indecent, sexist, classist (I could go on and on) behavior deserves nothing…except maybe a lifetime of turds in his mouth.
I actually like Joaquin Phoenix, he is a good actor.
LOL@ Denise’s comment
🙂
It’s such a shame because he is a good actor, but that’s the acting industry. It’s full of wankers, but what makes him an uber wanker is the fact that he thinks he is documentary worthy.
I always wear shoes like that to walk my dog.
Dude had real talent. Shame he’s become such a f***ing loser.
I need to manage all these wayward stars. It’s very simple: alternate between studio and independent films, become a student of the craft by spending time between movies working in theatre, give up drugs, take up exercise and meditation, take media coaching lessons to become a polished media performer, hire a stylist, attach yourself to a cause and blah, blah, blah. Now where’s my 10 percent?
Total mockumentary and it was painfully obvious thanks to their, formidable, combined arrogance and lack of wit. Now the laugh is on them and they have to play it straight and cry, “It’s true! It’s true!”
I had such a crush on him just a year ago. I was going to recommend him (the old Joaquin – pre-rapper period!) for Hot Guy Friday.
now, I don’t recognize him at all. but, I probably never knew him.
he is a talented actor though, no doubt.
And, i can understand his turning his back on the industry. He’s had a messed up life from growing up in a cult to losing family too young. And Hollywood isn’t the healthiest place to grow up.
We love you! Do what makes you happy, wah-keen!
Oh man, I’m not sure what to think. I know I used to think he was so good looking and he is a great actor. I hope it really is a hoax because to think of the alternative is just sad.
I thought the whole documentary might be about mental illness and how people react to it, based on what was said and written about Joaquin at the time.
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the best actors I’ve seen in my entire life. Some of his performances are simply mind blowing (Gladiator, Quills, Reservation Road — just ot name a few).
It’s a shame that this “documentary” has already damaged his career (whether is a hoax or not). I still have hopes he’ll come back though — a talent like his can’t be wasted.
I am not ashamed to admit I would watch the doc, when aand if it comes on the pay channels at home. I might not believe it, but I would watch it. He IS a good actor. I think he really had a Spears moment, and tried to capitalize on it, because he wasn’t quite cool enough for the world to do it for him. I don’t even hate the guy. But Afleck is a walkin penis. Yech.
he’s a tremendous actor. i don’t want to see this, tho.
hope he’s ok.
I love what Sarah said: Should be titled “I’m still here but no one cares”.
To Jazz- Wow, that would have been fantastic, and great a way for him to use the Hollywood machine he (claims to) hate to encourage discussion about the unwarranted stigma often attached to mental illness. I think you’re probably much smarter and more creative than he is…which is why I’d bet you are nowhere near Hollywood.
I felt very sad after seeing this movie. It was somehow profound and pathetic at the same time. I do believe it’s real, because it was a little too “real” for me…hard to watch in some spots. I think people can be cruel, especially not knowing what is really going on was behind the scenes. I don’t like David Letterman, never did and still don’t! Now, on the other hand, if this is a “hoax” I’m disappointed that they would even put the viewer into such a “funk”. I hope for Joaquin’s sake it’s not true and that it’s a farce, but I have a feeling it’s real. If he comes out and says “I was only kidding” I’m thinking it’s because he has his life together now and wants to disclaim life as it had been.
Please do not waste your money seeing this. It looked fake from the beginning. The kid in the opening scene is clearly not young Joaquin. The dad is played by Casey’s dad (probably because Joaquin’s dad was said to strongly dislike Hollywood when River was starting out). The ‘acting’ seems very insincere. The only moments when it seemed real was when Joaquin showed some semblance of emotion, aka anger. That was the only enjoyable part of the film for me. That and the scene where he is heard whimpering about being a joke. If you followed this in the media, it’s obvious that the only outfits he wears are the ones that were seen in the publicized pics. There aren’t really any inbetween events that were not seen in the media. Also, his friends were always around. No one has friends around that much. He doesn’t really work on music. The studio is NOT a studio. The house looks like a large garage. The homes looked like run down places that someone just threw a bunch of stuff in. No way does he have only one bookcase and drive an old humpty mobile.
Whatever the reason they claim for making this is hilarious to me. The film has so many technical problems. They appear in the first ten minutes with wardrobe discrepencies. I noticed several scenes where his wardrobe DID NOT coincide with what the actual events were in real life. This film is very unfocused. It had a lot of potential for what they say they wanted to do, but it looks to me that the announcement was real, and then they had to coverup his erratic decision by filming around it.
ARIA IS TO BEAUTIFUL FOR HIM
All Hollywood. Suspicions- Joaquin is gay, someone found out. Now comes the ‘reality’ of the ‘movie’. (suggest a plausable alternate story) Joaquin isn’t out of control on drugs on Letterman, he’s just a weird guy who’s nervous in interviews. Drugs- after witnessing River go tits-up, would he be so stupid? Yes. Too much money, too many people telling him he’s wonderful. Model/Girlfriend? She’s the gold digger du jour- rented/paid carbonlife to improve his image if someone knows too much truth. way-to-go Joaquin- keep honorin’ your bro’ like that…..
Will the real Joachin Phoenix please stand up? I like his acting, and I’m very concerned about him as a person.
I truly agree with you I love his movies and I hope he keeps on acting
Thought this doc was going to be douchey. But it was in fact awesome. I think he’s damaged his career with it – without doubt to fans and the industry. Booking an actor is a trust project for a director/producer. He took on this project for his friend, it became a hammering monster. I don’t think he realized how much his fans cared about him. His spiraling into a drug fueled gutter seemed cruel to him and us, then it was a hoax. It must be nice to have so many people care about you that you can throw them away. He hit fame early. Maybe he’ll grow up a bit and appreciate what he has and what he has to do to keep it. Hope he’ll do some good movies, not like ‘We Own the Night’ which majorly sucked (he was good but the story was so boring/been done). Actually his refusal to promote films will do more damage than this doc in the long run. Probably. James Gray was really mad about his dropping out of promos for ‘Two Lovers’. But I confess: he should have my babies.
It really sucks I think that he’s such a good actor and if all this is real I hope he figures things out and gets back on the train
Leave the man alone. hey its 2012 and i just “heard” about this by deciding to google him and see whats up.(randomly walk the line was on my moms tv and i decided..TO WATCH.) i dont watch tv and i dont watch ANY movies AT ALL anymore. But the more i read about I AM STILL HERE the more i wanna find it and SEE. Because i know he is a GENIUS.HAS MANY talents and can work with what his true soul desires.It doesnt matter what our polluted minds make or not out of it and him. I dont need to follow his career or “private” life making my own stupid assumptions on what is and whats not worthy !! I DO suggest you just shut up and just LOOK AT YOURSELF. and i bet this is what the doc iz about. peace.