I'm Still Here

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Two years ago, after finishing work on James Foley's film, Two Lovers, Joaquin Phoenix announced that he was retiring from acting. He then grew a ridiculous beard and began pursuing P Diddy to produce a rap album that he had been recording at a home studio. Early on, it was decided that Phoenix's brother-in-law, Affleck, would film all of his movements as he pursued his new dream of becoming a hippidy hop artist, and looked back at his impressive collection of work as an actor. He also filmed him doing shitloads of drugs, motorboating hookers and abusing his assistants.

You have to hand it to Phoenix, he one hundred percent committed to this. When he announced he was quitting acting, a spotlight was shone on his every move, and he really had to live this life for some time. You'd assume that while Sacha Baron Cohen's 'commitment to a bit' was also admirable, he didn't take home that role with him; Phoenix had to, and few people appear to be in on the 'joke'. At a tribute honouring the late great Paul Newman, Phoenix bumps into a series of famous mushes, and hugs each one of them for an uncomfortable amount of time. Ben Stiller also turns up at his house, offering him a role in Greenberg, and is bemused by his ramblings.

Who was in on it, and who wasn't is pretty much open to interpretation; Letterman is a smart enough man to know when he's having the piss taken out of him, but he turned that interview into pure gold, garnering the kind if publicity you could never buy. It also serves as the ending that Affleck and Phoenix wanted, with the latter hitting rock bottom. You could argue for hours what Affleck and Phoenix were trying to do here, but it seems to be a commentary of the indulgence of fame, and the media's obsessions with that. Or they could've just thought it'd be funny to have a man crap on him while he slept - either way, it mostly works.

I'm Still Here is far too long, and becomes repetitive after a hilarious opening hour or so. But, faux-documentary or not, it's still fascinating and smart filmmaking.