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If all that “I’m Still Here” documents is a hoax then Joaquin Phoenix is a far better actor than I ever suspected because he maintains a dour, humorless, and painfully pretentious demeanor to perfection. If it’s a performance then it’s merely humorless and dull. But to what end? If it’s real than it’s at least truthful and painful. Maybe Joaquin is satirizing himself and self-absorbed, tormented artists. JOAQUIN PHOENIX: What I want it to be is like a place of true experimentation… But Joaquin and company are not that entertaining and they’re not capable of wicked satire.

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Plus the film ends with thanks to such merry pranksters as Ben Stiller and Shepherd Fairey.Ī better example of a cinematic hoax is the recent “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” It truly leaves you wondering if you’ve been hoodwinked or not but you don’t care because you’ve been raucously entertained and privy to a brilliant satire on the art world. Perhaps that’s because her source is the man asking the question. You feel both Affleck and the reporter smirking as she says she can’t reveal her sources. At one point Affleck even interviews the woman who reported that the whole thing was a fraud.

But Phoenix and Affleck seem so pleased with themselves about how clever they are that they simply can’t contain themselves. The problem is that for a hoax to work, people need to be fooled. LETTERMAN: Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight. But I doubt Letterman would have allowed Phoenix to appear on the show and surprise him with this behavior. This notorious appearance on Letterman made people begin to wonder if Phoenix had really lost it. JOAQUIN PHOENIX: I’d love to come on the show. LETTERMAN: When will we see the new music career take off cause we want to be there. Only in this case the character is himself. So his solution may have been to entertain himself by pulling an elaborate hoax, one in which like Cohen, he assumes a character. His rants and raves about not wanting to be a puppet and mouthing someone else’s lines are probably real. Maybe Joaquin Phoenix got tired of acting and working in Hollywood. In the case of “I’m Still Here?” you have to ask yourself, is it a truthful documentary, a hoax, or a mockumentary? And does it even matter? The truth is it may be all three. And we have Michael Moore serving up documentaries that are as scripted as a fiction film.

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Then we have Sasha Baron Cohen assuming a character like Borat and then half scripting, half improvising bizarre reality TV comedies. We have Christopher Guest’s overt mockumentaries that make fun of real things like community theater. We’ve come to a point with technology and art where the line between fact and fiction can easily be blurred.

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REPORTER: What do you think if there was a movie made out of your life years from now, you should say should be taken from this night? That’s only one of the reasons it’s a little hard to buy “I’m Still Here” as anything but a hoax. He seems ready to make a documentary before Phoenix would have even been aware there was a documentary to make. It was supposed to be a surprise announcement yet Affleck is ready with his cameras to record the breaking news on the red carpet.

REPORTER: Joaquin retiring, true or false?ĬASEY AFFLECK: Uh yes, um I guess he’s getting into I guess he’s getting into music I mean don’t know he’s putting out an album I gotta do this… Even Affleck can’t even keep a straight face when the E! reporter asks him about Joaquin’s retirement. It’s hard to believe this documentary when everyone seems to be self-consciously performing. JOAQUIN PHOENIX: Uh, Phoenix, Joaquin, Phoenix to see Diddy, Mr.

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But Phoenix arrives late for a meeting and doesn’t even know how to address his host.

Now actor Casey Affleck has made a documentary about his brother-in-law’s attempt to reinvent himself. Phoenix claimed he was ending his acting career to become a hip-hop musician and for many that was hard to take seriously. REPORTER: I’m not laughing I’m just getting the sense that you’re kidding.Īnd so do we. JOAQUIN PHOENIX: Listen I want to take this opportunity also to give you an exclusive and talk a little about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor, I’m not doing films any more…. In 2008, actor Joaquin Phoenix surprised E! News with this announcement. You can find more of Beth’s reviews and post your own comments at K-P-B-S-dot-O-R-G-slash-cinema-junkie. (Tag:) “I’m Still Here” opens tomorrow (Friday) at Landmark’s Hillcrest cinemas. “KPBS film critic Beth Accomando says there is now a new film documenting that rocky transition. KPBS FM Radio Film Review: “I’m Still Here”Ī couple years ago actor Joaquin Phoenix claimed to be retiring from acting in order to pursue a career in rap music.

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