I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

[KiraC]

Everybody got it until now: It was a hoax, a stunt, a joke, a so-called mockumentary. One review is worse than the one before but what I am wondering is: what were they up to?

I mean nobody who is able to use his brain cells for more than picking up a six pack put a stable career on hold (and at least Joaquin Phoenix had one) for two years to do something like this without a really good reason, right? So, what is this really good reason? Or was it just a good plan that went totally wrong? What do you think?

[Sherbet]

Re: I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

I saw it on DVD last week. It was an embarassment from start to finish. I don't know what Joaquim Phoenix thought it was going to do for him. As portrait of a downward spiral, it was too real to be a "joke" - and calling it an "elaborate ruse" looks like PR spin - after they realized what a bad idea it was. It's a pity. He was great in Gladiator.

[SuperScribe]

Re: I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

Everybody got it until now: It was a hoax, a stunt, a joke, a so-called mockumentary. One review is worse than the one before but what I am wondering is: what were they up to?

I mean nobody who is able to use his brain cells for more than picking up a six pack put a stable career on hold (and at least Joaquin Phoenix had one) for two years to do something like this without a really good reason, right? So, what is this really good reason? Or was it just a good plan that went totally wrong? What do you think?

Not that I'm calling what Joaquin did art (I'm ambivalent about the whole stunt), but artists do things all the time that don't make a lick of sense to so-called rational human beings.

[KiraC]

Re: I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

I saw him on "We own the Night" and thought he was really good. And I'm with you on the PR spin. It looks like they had a plan that just didn't work out and now they're trying to "sell" it as "everything was planned that way". But if they really planned to make a documentary style of movie about a fictional actor to show the public what everybody believes a celebrity is doing all the time, then why just not take a fictional character? Why taking Joaquin?

And I agree: Artists do make things all the time that don't make much sense for other human beings but how many artists do you know who are risking their careers? Isn't it a saying "Never invest in your own projects"? In this case it seems like he invested his career instead of money. The worst of all it didn't even make big at the box office.

Today I read a review that closed with the question "How many people are willing to work with him in the future after this. Just ask yourself. Would you want to work with somebody who did such a thing?"

[The White Album]

Re: I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

Liars should be clean-shaven. A beard makes it obvious there's something to hide. That's why everyone knew Joaquin Phoenix was pranking.

[KiraC]

Re: I'm Still Here - a hoax but what for?

I'm not so sure that it was the beard that made everybody suspecious...