Has Joaquin Phoenix lost his mind?

[MTK]

Guess we'll have to wait and see the documentary to see if it was worth it.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Guess we'll have to wait and see the documentary to see if it was worth it.

I'm Still Here is a brilliant documentary, whichever way you decide to look at it. The film has either one of the greatest acting performances in years or it is one of the most tragic stories of a genius losing his mind. Ever since 2008, Joaquin Phoenix has been a huge topic of discussion considering he decided to "quit" acting and start a career as a rapper. Phoenix had just finished shooting Two Lovers and was getting ready for his promotional tour. He decided to tell Extra that he was quitting acting to pursue his music career. This, in turn, started a whirlwind of press where people were confused as to whether this was a hoax or real. Videos started to appear online of Phoenix with a shaggy beard, rapping in different clubs across the country. There was even a video of him performing and falling off the stage. The world finally got a better luck at him when he appeared in the hilarious ten minute interview with David Letterman, which becomes a center piece for the flick.

The documentary is directed by Phoenix's brother-in-Law, Casey Affleck, which raises the first red flag. First of all, why would Phoenix let anyone film this? There are scenes where Phoenix is doing cocaine, having sex with hookers, doing cocaine off of a hooker's body, saying extremely crude words and even being defecated on! Affleck does appear on camera a couple of times but he mainly stays off screen.

The movie opens with a home video of Joaquin as a young boy diving off a rock cliff with a waterfall behind him. The video is from 1981 and we see Joaquin's father in the foreground watching how frightened his son is to dive into the water. Affleck ended the film with a similar video which I thought was a great wrap around metaphor. We are then introduced to Phoenix while walking around outside in a blue hooded sweatshirt, smoking a cigarette. He explains that he's tired of being an actor because he feels like a puppet that is strung along by the studios. He loved every second between action and cut but he says he despised everything after that. The film progresses and he starts growing his beard out to start his dissent into "madness." His goal is to become a famous rapper and he seeks out the help of Diddy (Sean Combs). He originally tries to get Dr. Dre but he is too booked so he has to resort to Diddy, who is extremely skeptical considering there had been so much talk of this being a hoax. The scenes with Diddy are absolutely priceless because even he doesn't appear to know if this fake or real. He tries to embrace Phoenix as an artist but he knows his rap skills are atrocious. Anytime he raps, it comes off as comical and not serious. Though, it appears that he is taking this seriously.

Obviously, the big question is whether the film is real or fake. I took turns throughout the film watching it from different angles. I would watch fifteen or twenty minutes thinking the film was fake and I would completely lose my mind with laughter. There were times where Phoenix would be rapping so awkwardly that I would start laughing to the point of crying. At one point, he is meeting with Edward James Osmos. There is a sequence where Phoenix is rapping right in Edward's face. I laughed so hard that my eyes starting squirting tears onto my glasses. I had to remove the glasses from my face and wipe them down. At that point, I was wiping my glasses in the dark and one of my lenses popped out. This is turning into minutia but you get the point.

The movie has a very tragic and emotional side to it as well. The emotional range of this film is what makes it so brilliant. I know it's cliche but you will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster throughout. The movie will spark a ton of debate but if this film is not real, Joaquin deserves the Academy Award for Best Actor right now.

For people not familiar with this film, be warned that it is extremely crude, including a scene where a person defecates on someone's face. The movie is filled with more F-words than imaginable and some of the crudest dialogue you will here.

My only issue with the film is that it does feel like it drags towards the end. If Affleck shaved off about five minutes, the movie would have been perfect. The way he ends the movie is hilarious considering the audience is ready to go. He drags it out on purpose with the music and camera.

I highly recommend seeing the film due to how riveting and unique it is. You can literally review this movie from two angles. I, for one, find positives on both sides of the spectrum. If it's real, it's brilliant. If it's fake, it's tragic. The film receives a 4.5 BDK rating out of 5.

[mooby]

Is it in theaters, is it straight to dvd, can I find it on redbox (doubt that lol)? I want to watch it, I thought the clip of him rapping was hilarious and I def. wouldn't be offended by all the shit going on in that.

[GMScud]

Good for Joaquin Phoenix. Too bad no one cares anymore.

[tryfuhl]

lol werd, I know these things take time but people just forgot/stopped caring after awhile

it was comical the whole way and in no way surprising that this was what it was all about.. I expected it to end up slightly different but whatever