Review — I’m Still Here

[Reviewed by: Danny Moltrasi]

“What’s so funny?”

Casey Affleck’s documentary on Joaquin Phoenix’s plan to leave the acting world, and rather enter the rap game, has been in and out of the news ever since it was announced. No one however was completely certain about the legitimacy of these event, with many claiming it was a hoax. Affleck and Phoenix insisted it was the real deal, up until a couple of weeks after its premier when they finally announced it was in fact, all planned. I had the opportunity to watch I’m Still Here with this knowledge, and it still provides a fascinating insight into people’s characters, treatment of others and a whole lot of guts from Phoenix. For the sake of this review, I am going to accept that this has been a hoax, as I still understand there are many suggesting that Casey Affleck has used that idea as a get out clause.

News — Casey Affleck Admits “I’m Still Here” was Staged

[Posted by: Eric Raymer]

In an interview with the New York Times, actor/director Casey Affleck admitted that his new film, I’m Still Here, which chronicles actor Joaquin Phoenix‘s pursuit of a rap career and descent into depravity, was almost entirely staged. In other news, grass is green and water is wet. This whole thing reeked of being a stunt since Phoenix’s first bizarre appearance on the David Letterman show, and I have a hard time believing that Affleck “never intended to trick anybody.” The only truly remarkable thing is that Phoenix was willing to keep up the act for so long. This definitely takes away some of the appeal of the film for me, but in all fairness, it looks like Phoenix does a great job pulling off the role. While I never wanted Phoenix’s life to actually fall apart, knowing that it’s all a hoax makes it significantly less interesting.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that David Letterman was in on it too.