Review of I'm Still Here (2010) by Brad P — 08 Jan 2011

I knew nothing about this film going in; I had seen Phoenix's bizarre appearance on Letterman and some of the resulting fallout, so I was convinced I was watching a spoiled, self-important celebrity fall apart in public.

And honestly, since celebrity culture doesn't really interest me, I didn't care that much. Now, after finding out that it was all staged as part of an elaborate hoax, or performance art piece, or whatever, I'm actually pretty pissed.

Not only does it not change my perception of Phoenix and "director" Casey Affleck as being spoiled and self-important, I now learn that instead of falling apart in public, they were having a laugh at our expense.

And wasting our time doing it. While I certainly understand the desire to explore the relationship between celebrities, the media, and the public, this project was not the way to do it. That is, self-important celebrities are not the most qualified people to comment on the self-importance of celebrities.

As a casual observer, I feel like I was duped in the service of a statement that is shallow and banal at best and maliciously self-serving at worst. To everyone involved, that is, to everyone who was "in on the joke", I would like to humbly offer a big, fat "screw you".