Movie #86 I'm Still Here *2010*

The Joaquin Phoenix goes crazy movie.

I found an interesting trend when I started rating the movies that I have blogged about.  First off I realized that I have watched a lot of documentaries.  Secondly, I noticed that these movies seem to be the most polarizing.  I seem to either love them or hate them.  There are only 2 films rated 1 star or less from these blogs and they are both documentaries.  I'm Still here looks to join those bottom feeders.

I should have known better.  I don't care at all about reality TV.  I have enough problems in my life to get invested in some trash from Jersey or what ever drama is being conjured up on The Real World (and how ironic that title has become) or Keeping up with the Kardashians.  What drew me to this picture was all the praise Joaquin was getting for his performance, once it was revealed that it was a performance. 

As I have have mentioned several times now I could care less about the validity of a film.  In Catfish and Exit Through the Gift Shop there was a big debate about how truthful the story was.  All through out the making of I'm Still Here Joaquin and the director Casey Affleck were asked if Joaquin was really retiring from acting and if his purposed hip hop career was for real.  This bores the life out of me.  As did this movie.

I found Joaquin to be a believable asshole, but not more than that.  But to be honest, I kinda felt that way long before he pulled this stunt.  Then this shotty made doc has to elevate the stakes by adding gross out humor and ridiculous situations in an attempt to make the characters seem like something special.  Things like snorting coke off a hookers boobs and a disgruntled employee taking a crap on Joaquin's face while he sleeps.

I found this doc mean spirited and misogynistic.   Kind of like the same feeling I had about the Jackass movies when they pull their prank on unsuspecting bystanders.  I don't know the extent as how much many of the people in the film were in on the joke, but it is not humor that I enjoy.  Watching people be made to feel uncomfortable by the antics of a jerk.

Letterman handled this about as well as anyone.  I suppose Phoenix and Affleck thought they would be clever or add some meta level by pulling this stunt on Late Night like Andy Kauffman did 20 some years ago.  It flopped miserably in my eyes.

Overall I feel like I wasted almost two hours on this garbage.  I give I'm Still Here a 1/5 stars and wish it was never here in the first place.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.