Review: I’m Still Here

Whether you think this mock-doc of an egotistical star shunning Hollywood to become a rapper is a brilliant piece of indie polemic, or a gruelling misguided labour of love, one thing’s certain: I’m Still Here is hard work.

There are laughs to be had as an increasingly hairy Joaquin ‘JP’ Phoenix quits acting for a career in rapping, attempting to hire producer Sean Combs along the way, but that’s due to the absurdity of the situation, not any comic performance. Directed by Gone Baby, Gone actor Casey Affleck, it was filmed and marketed as a straight-faced documentary.

There’s certainly nothing intentionally funny about the character Joaquin plays: a petulant version of himself, prone to coke-fuelled tantrums and assaults on his sycophantic minions; a king baby disguised as an artist.

And this is not the first exploration into the dark and absurd hues of Hollywood and the tragic little-big people it produces. Neither is it the first to feature successful actors biting the Hollywood hand that feeds them – Bernard Rose’s Ivans XTC and Robert Altman’s The Player do a better job on both fronts.

What is unique though is how far Joaquin Phoenix is willing to take his character. The US TV chat show becomes his rehearsal room as he mumbles through a David Letterman interview; raps are performed to a bewildered public; Ben Stiller calls by Joaquin’s house and becomes a seemingly unknowing bit player. Ultimately who’s in on the ruse is beside the point – the filmmakers’ ballsy attempt to dupe the US media and general public makes this a valid experiment.

But it’s just so boring! And although it took guts for Joaquin and Casey to play out this audacious stunt, the film drags like a 1970s director’s cut epic. Questions raised about the fallout of celebrity culture and the insanity of fame are left infuriatingly unanswered. With a totally incongruous Jackass-inspired ‘shit scene’ crowbared in – which reeks of staged comedy in an otherwise freestyling film – doubt creeps in to keep tedium company.

Whilst boasting an impressively committed star performance, the film needed an unapologetic editor and more behind-the-scenes structure to do the project justice. As it stands, I’m Still Here is as a testament to two actors’ courageous but misjudged daring.

I’m Still Here is out on DVD 10 January 2011.