Joaquin Phoenix’s mockumentary I’m Still Here is so bad it dares you to remain in the theater. Had I not been there to review it I would have walked out within 30 minutes or less. Directed by Phoenix’s brother-in-law, Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), it never once tries to play it for real and the whole point of the star-fucking commentary of the piece is over and done with before it ever gets started.
The path toward this end product began in 2008 and really got rolling late October when Phoenix David Letterman interview while promoting what was to be his final film, Two Lovers. I’m Still Here presents a behind-the-scenes look at what went on before and after these small glimpses. What we end up seeing is repetitive and pointless to such a degree that by the time it was over I wished I’d never heard of Joaquin Phoenix.
In an effort to appear wildly unhinged, we bear witness to endless tirades as Phoenix yells at his assistants, snorts coke off a hooker’s breasts, mumbles incoherently and vomits profusely. All of this results in one of his assistants defecating on his face in the middle of the night. This is what makes up I’m Still Here, and when that isn’t going on, the same face-shitting assistant is running around naked while Phoenix snaps his ass with a towel.
Essentially, I’m Still Here is an endless series of 30-second TMZ clips stitched together into one 106-minute feature length film. The point of this seems to be to point a finger at just how stupid the celebrity obsessed public really is as sites like TMZ.com and Perez Hilton are among the most popular on the Internet. The problem with this is there is no reveal. Nothing is learned and the film proves just as pointless as the societal tendencies it seems to be condemning. Then again, perhaps it isn’t in the watching of the movie where you’ll find the lesson as much as it is in not watching it.
Just as much as Phoenix seems to have been dared into taking it as far as he did, he and Affleck also seem to be daring the audience to watch the entirety of this movie. My guess is they will only respect you if you never buy a ticket or, at the very least, walk out in the middle of the movie and demand your money back. It’s the only explanation for what’s on display.
Everything about I’m Still Here tests the patience of anyone interested in a film that actually says something or tries something more than exhibiting profanity laced meltdowns for its more dramatic moments. Affleck and Phoenix are too good at what they do to think this is quality cinema or a necessary commentary.
Instead of trying to entertain or educate an audience I’m Still Here is laughing at them. If you are confused enough to believe this movie is real you should take a closer look. If you are convinced it’s fake and some kind of quality avant-garde piece of artistic expression you should set your bar a little higher. All throughout I could only think of an infinite number of things I could have been doing instead and only hope this isn’t how you choose to waste your time.
