Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

Getting it out of the way, the fact that director Casey Affleck announced that the subject of this film was a hoax is of no concern to how the movie plays and is recieved.  Those 7 pm entertainment news shows covered it in absurd proportions, but Joaquin Phoenix's descent into crazy-dom was pretty well documented to begin with.  Shrouded in the mystery as to why he was quitting acting for a less-then-budding hip hop career, I'm Still Here came just in time for nobody to remember. 

The film is a hipster kid's day dream.  Joaquin, a hugely praised actor known from his performances in Gladiator, Signs, and Walk the Line, retires from the mainstream "bullshit" of acting and dives into beards, minimalism, and lots of cocaine.  In the meantime his brother-in-law Casey Affleck (Ben's brother known for Gone Baby Gone) is there every second of the day to catch it on film.  While the style of the film would be most obviously considered in the vein of Borat, a documentary-style movie made up of sketches, the plot is very much like the dramatic version of Get Him to the Greek in which the audience witnesses first hand the crash and burn of a once-beloved star.

But here's what makes the film so great: despite the sketch format and various interactions that certainly feel as though they were set-up, Phoenix's "performance" makes it really difficult to believe that the whole thing was a hoax.  Most of the time you can't help but laugh at how low he's gotten, but since it's so convincing, it's sad to watch.  Nonetheless for anyone interested in the psyche of movie stars, this mockumentary puts on full display the full-time repurcussions of what is only seen in bits and pieces regarding other nutsos like Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. 

While often contrived, and certainly clinging hard to its "indie-ness" with obnoxiously drawn out scenes of our fallen hero wading around a lake, I'm Still Here is entertaining throughout and makes for an enjoyable 2 hours full of drama, comedy, suspense and hookers. 

7.5/10

P.s. the historic Tower Theater in Miami makes for an amazing movie-watching experience!