Review of I'm Still Here (2010) by Caz M — 29 Jun 2014

Strange mix of docudrama and comedy following the steps of real life actor Joaquin Phoenix. For a year he faked he was intending to leave his acting career to become a rapper. He knows nothing about singing and basically he goes around embarrassing himself and taking a mickey out of every single celebrity he comes across (and that's quite a few). His alter ego is a sort of tormented artist, a bearded moody man that talks aggressively and wears sunglasses all the time.

An interesting premise that gets lost somehow in a haze of swearing and bland scenes when nothing much happens. There are very funny moments like the interview with David Letterman, that became a kind of classic. Then we see him sitting in planes and cars and walking in the forest and we end up utterly confused and wondering what is the movie really about. It might be a satire of Hollywood or maybe a philosophical and artistic indictment; it is difficult to tell. It won't appeal to the average Joe as there is very little action and often surreal dialogues. After watching it some have found themselves connected to this harsh review of life in the limelight. I personally dozed off a few times though I managed to spot a veiled meaning to the film.