Day 74- Movie 60. I'm Still Here (2010)

This movie would probably have been a whole lot better had Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix at least made it seem plausible that anything happening here was real. Sure, there were a few moments when the media questioned what the hell Phoenix was doing, but the whole thing had "hoax" written all over it. It didn't help matters when a source close to Phoenix leaked the news that it was all indeed a hoax. That really cheapened the whole thing.

Now that we know 100% that this was a hoax (Casey Affleck admitted it), it changes the way we have to look at this movie. In some ways, it makes it even better. Watching this "documentary" and believing it was all true would make Phoenix look like one of the biggest scumbags in Hollywood. In the film, Phoenix mumbles incoherent nonsense, treats his friends like crap (one them actually defecates on his head- it was fake, though), and comes across as a narcissistic, out of touch moron. I'd probably hate Phoenix if I thought this movie portrayed him in a realistic light.

However, as a hoax, this film is significantly more impressive. Before starting this, Phoenix was at the top of his career. He had received a host of nominations and awards for Walk the Line. He had offers galore, and could have done pretty much anything he wanted. There are thousands and thousands of struggling actors who would kill for even a piece of his fame at that point. Instead of using his fame for terrific roles, he instead grows a disgusting beard, puts on tons of weight, retires from acting, and embarks on a misguided rap career- all for the sake of a documentary. It took some real balls to do this, and I respect Phoenix for it.

The film itself, though, does leave something to be desired. I admit that I'm impressed with Phoenix, knowing that he was playing a character here. Some of it might have been based in reality, but he's basically acting throughout the entire film. The fact that you have to occasionally wonder if it's real is a testament to his acting ability. That part I liked.

Unfortunately, the film is just too long and too much of a one trick pony. After 20 minutes of the film, we get it- Phoenix is unbalanced, crazy, and willing to go to obscene lengths for the film. Unfortunately, we still have another 80 minutes or so. The film really breaks down at the halfway point. I ran out of patience around 50 minutes in. The film does pick back up for the last half hour or so, so at least it partially redeems itself. I wish more had happened than just watching Phoenix be self-destructive.

It is pretty amazing the lengths that they go in this film. We see Phoenix snort drugs, cavort with hookers, scream at his friends, embarrass himself in front of large crowds and on television multiple times, annoy Sean Combs, and overall, present himself as a trainwreck. This is hard to watch, but it's crazy when you think about how everything in this movie is fake. It might be stupid and pointless, but it's impressive that Affleck and Phoenix pulled this off regardless.

While I tend to appreciate anytime people push the boundaries of what we expect and what we're used to seeing, I still couldn't bring myself to like this movie very much. It isn't that exciting, and once the initial shock value wears off, it just comes across as a bit sad. I wish that this film had at least had the appearance of being real, instead of so clearly being fake. Still, it is very, very impressive that Phoenix basically played this character for 2 years, giving up the opportunity to capitalize on his fame and critical acclaim, all for this little movie. I appreciate that, and I've giving this film a decent 6.5/10.

I will say that I've always liked Joaquin Phoenix, I still like Joaquin Phoenix, and I, for one, am glad that he's still here. I'm looking forward to his next movie role.