I’m Still Here – 2010

Documenting Joaquin Phoenix’s transition from the acting world in 2008 to a career as an aspiring rapper, seeking a mentor in P Diddy.

Directed: Casey Affleck

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Antony Langdon and Carey Perloff

What we think: This film, is it, was it real, or was it in effect a massive hoax concocted by Phoenix and Affleck.

Well, it has been revealed that it was the latter, and to be fair after watching it you’d have to be a total fool to actually believe that one of Hollywood’s brightest talents would jack it all in to become a rapper.

As far as performances go this is one of Joaquin’s best, and all he had to do was grow a grizzly beard, smoke a lot and write some of the most ridiculous rap lyrics ever! But if this is genuine satire then he put his heart and sole into it!

When he was interviewed by David Letterman (who had no idea the whole thing was a hoax) Phoenix looked like a shadow of his former self.

Chewing gum, and slopped in his chair he was totally unresponsive to the abuse he was getting, and back stage vented his anger.

The more outrageous scenes are the ones that create the most hilarious and deliver the shocking impacts, such as sniffing coke from the bosom of a prostitute, to having his face shat on by a so called friend.

What is the most cringe-worthy to watch is Phoenix’s pitiful attempts at rapping, the bloke has about as much musical talent as Jedward and he gets his fair share of heckles, in each venue that he some how manages to get a gig for.

“I’ve got a million dollars in the bank, what have you got!?” comes Pheonix’s response, and then he proceeds to hurl himself into the crowd fists swinging, followed by violent vomiting.

To think that a man of P Diddy’s calabure would even consider letting some deshelved tramp off the street play him tracks from his demo is unbelievable in itself.

Diddy’s eyes say it all as he asks Phoenix to skip on to the next one, continually starring down the camera in sheer disbelief!

There is not a lot to suggest that an actor such as this would just suddenly melt down, of course we don’t deny the pressures in Hollywood might cause few to sink to a lowest ebb, but Affleck succeeds in making this a shocking and truly hilarious stunt.

View the trailer

Rating: (3/5)

Visit the IMDb page for I’m Still Here

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