# I'm Still here - Joaquin Phoenix **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517 "2010-09-03T18:42:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/1 "2010-09-03T18:42:47Z")
What the hell? [I’m Still here ‘starring’ Joaquin Phoenix](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1356864/) Why do otherwise good actors have to be so freaking weird? I’m actually torn because this is being directed by Casey Affleck. No I take that back. I’m not torn. I don’t care enough about Joaquin and his weird antics:rolleyes: to ever see this movie. However I liked Gone Baby Gone enough that I believe Casey Affleck can make this a decent movie. What are your thoughts on this movie? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/2 "2010-09-03T19:36:48Z")
Well, I thought this was supposed to be an Andy Kaufman style practical joke. Is it? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/3 "2010-09-03T19:55:04Z")
“…the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to **reinvent himself as a hip hop musician**.” That _always_ goes well. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/4 "2010-09-03T19:56:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Well, I thought this was supposed to be an Andy Kaufman style practical joke. > > Is it? I think so. And I like the fact that they still haven’t admitted it’s a joke. The problem is I don’t care enough about Phoenix to shell out for the movie, especially given the Wikipedia description. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/5 "2010-09-03T20:07:33Z")
Okay. Mockumentary I will buy. But I think Sacha Baron Cohen has already cornered the gross-out mockumentary market. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/6 "2010-09-03T20:20:55Z")
Weird, just weird. As David Letterman said ruefully at the end of Phoenix’s distracted, offbeat (and maybe faked) appearance on his show, “I’m sorry you couldn’t be here with us tonight, Joaquin…!” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/7 "2010-09-03T20:35:20Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > “…the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to **reinvent himself as a hip hop musician**.” > > That _always_ goes well. I think they gave the Lifetime Achievement Oscar to Peter O’Toole to stop him from this very path. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/8 "2010-09-04T04:33:36Z")
I’m hoping it will turn out to be some sort of post-modern/concept/recursive/irony/meta-something piece. yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/9 "2010-09-06T12:45:45Z")
The more I hear about it, the more I’m feeling fairly sure it’s a prank. I assume they’ll stick with it forever, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/10 "2010-09-06T12:51:01Z")
By the way, Wikipedia cites a Rolling Stone quote where Phoenix admits it is a hoax. However, the link cited is a dead link(re-directs to the home page). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/11 "2010-09-06T13:01:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The more I hear about it, the more I’m feeling fairly sure it’s a prank. The part that has convinced it’s a prank is that supposedly Joaquin starts abusing heroin on film and everyone’s cool with it. You remember heroin right? It was the drug his brother overdosed on and died in his arms because of. If I were Joaquin’s sister (who’s married to Casey Affleck) and I saw my husband laughing and joking with my brother while he shoots up some heroin, I’d shove the camera so far up his ass it would come out the other side. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/12 "2010-09-06T16:07:04Z")
Now _that’s_ method acting. :dubious: (I used to have a minor crush on Joaquin Phoenix, and now I feel very, very confused. Not sure if want.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/13 "2010-09-07T13:27:22Z")
_Time_ magazine on the enigma/spoof: [http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2016296,00.html?hpt=C2](http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2016296,00.html?hpt=C2) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/14 "2010-09-10T15:43:28Z")
_Entertainment Weekly_ actually liked the movie: [Review: 'I'm Still Here' paints a sad picture of Joaquin Phoenix - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/08/ew.still.here.review/index.html?hpt=C2) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/15 "2010-09-10T16:06:30Z")
Per the EW review linked above > [@](#): > > What the film reveals is that Phoenix, whom we see repeatedly snorting cocaine (and surrounded by empty beer bottles), is less an enigmatic head case than a toxically ego-fueled drug casualty. Possession of cocaine being a crime- not sure if use qualifies beyond the fact it requires possession of it- are there any possible legal consequences of filming Phoenix using it, either to Phoenix or to Affleck? Either way it seems incredible his keepers would consent to the film being shown. It’s also said to have lots of nudity which in spite of how sexy Phoenix can be when he’s in shape is, I’m guessing at least, currently not a site you want to see while he’s out of shape, crazy, and hygienically unenthused; I’m surprised this was allowed also. Is it just me or does Casey Affleck sound like an uncaring shit? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/16 "2010-09-12T13:31:58Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > “…the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to **reinvent himself as a hip hop musician**.” > > > > That _always_ goes well. > > I think they gave the Lifetime Achievement Oscar to Peter O’Toole to stop him from this very path. You crack me up. P.S. Yes, it’s a joke. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/17 "2010-09-12T13:35:39Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Possession of cocaine being a crime- not sure if use qualifies beyond the fact it requires possession of it- are there any possible legal consequences of filming Phoenix using it, either to Phoenix or to Affleck? No. They’d need to prove that the substance was, indeed, cocaine and not a movie prop. No way to do that. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/18 "2010-09-12T13:46:11Z")
The LA Times did a quick scoresheet on who thinks it’s legit and who thinks it’s a hoax: [Link](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/09/critical-mass-im-still-here.html). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/19 "2010-09-12T13:54:48Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > The LA Times did a quick scoresheet on who thinks it’s legit and who thinks it’s a hoax: [Link](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/09/critical-mass-im-still-here.html). Further proof it’s a hoax: Joaquin Phoenix is talking to studios about new acting jobs. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content\_display/film/news/e3i01b6a2dad021a54586de5997a7797ad7](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i01b6a2dad021a54586de5997a7797ad7) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517/20 "2010-09-12T16:36:04Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > …Further proof it’s a hoax: Joaquin Phoenix is talking to studios about new acting jobs… I’m inclined to believe it was a hoax all along, but the fact that he’s now looking for acting work doesn’t necessarily mean that it was. He might just have realized that being a rap artist wasn’t working out (no duh!), and that he’d have to reconsider his decision not to be an actor anymore. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-still-here-joaquin-phoenix/552517.md?page=2)