Was this a hoax or is it just Phoenix trying to regain some measure of respectability? Would it have been labled as a hoax if the hip hop career had taken off? Did they come to the realisation that, hey I look like a complete and utter ass so I'm going to say ha ha ha I was only kidding it was a hoax.Is there any documented evidence that states this was intended to be a spoof prior to this being filmed?
sharePeople are going to be debating for years, but for me this wasn't a mockumentary. He obviously had a mental breakdown. Look at the facts. What A-list actor pulling in 10's of millions dollars is going to throw that all away to make a stupid mockumentary that grossed $400k? He was at the peak of his career, and now for the moment at least, he is Hollywood kryptonite.
He had a delusional breakdown, just like Dennis Hopper did back in the early 70's. It happens. Everything after this movie is just spin and damage limitation.
Joaquin said he got the idea for the film while watching reality tv. He observed that people will accept anything as real if they are told so.
He has been proven correct in his assessment of the gullibility of the viewing public.
It's a tribute to his talent as an actor that there is any debate at this point.
.
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
[deleted]
Correct. Every single article I read about Joaquin during the period they filmed, the writers and commentators made specific mention that he is either trying to make fools of the media and public or that this was a put-on for some film project with Casey. It turns out they were right all along in their skepticism. It was rather obvious at the time and spectacularly obvious in hindsight.
shareso all of the film is a hoax and staged---?!
Illusion is the first of all pleasures
-Oscar Wilde-
Maybe yeah and you believed him that was it was hoax because he said it was. So whos to say you arent the gullible one?
shareHe observed that people will accept anything as real if they are told so.
hilarious. and you see from the responses just how gullible people can be.
"it was real to me damnit!"
haha morons...
You're joking right? You must be really gullible.
shareUnfortunately the "Hoax" was him calling it a Hoax. Gee..what a coincidence, he hasn't done a movie in the two years that followed this Documentary.(four years since his last motion picture and guest spot on David letterman) If you read the comments made by him on his IMDB page, it is obvious that this drugged out, overweight delusional alcoholic, was trying to change careers, only to discover that he couldn't "RaP" a Xmas present no less a Hip Hop Song. We should try and forgive him however; he was born into a religious cult family and the brother he loved most, overdosed on drugs, and left him with no foundation for his existence; as so many from families like his bestow upon their offspring. Casey Affleck filmed the demise of his brother-in-law unknowingly. I'm positive that this movie (video) started off as a documented period of Phoenix changing careers, and turned into the sad and possibly the demise of a promising Hollywood Star that will either super nova out of existence as his brother did, or somehow find the means to recover and return to the status he once had before this disaster.
share"You behave as if stupidity is a virtue"
This is a line from The Flight Of The Phoenix,(ironic).
You need to go to Joaquin's page and read it before you post, jreastland.
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
To a malcontent who knows how to spell:
You may know how to spell, but you obviously haven't learned to Read.
If you could read, then you would not only see that I mentioned that I visited his page before posting, but you also wouldn't have been duped by the loser coping out and now saying it was all a hoax. IQ is as important as spelling and reading. I'm in the industry. I know some of the people involved. I know the truth. Obviously you are a fan of his. That's fine. However, keep this in mind:
The man in this Video is the real man you are a fan of.
Wrongo.
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
Woops......there goes the spelling perk.
shareWhen I suggested you visit his IMDb page, I expected you to notice that he has recently made two films with another about to start.
That can hardly be done by the man you insist he is.
Of course I'm an admirer of his talent. I look forward to seeing all his films.
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
He has seen the light!.... and is finally broke enough to return to the career that has proven to be able support him in the lifestyle he has become accustomed to.
I wish him much luck. He is a very talented actor.
Medicine 101:
Drugs dry you up.
That's why cocaine is also commonly used by models.
Joaquin porked up quite a bit for this film.
And that's just one of the hundreds of clues in the movie.
I'm glad you are ignorant about this subject. That's a compliment. You've led a clean life; however, here are a few facts for you:
He was in Rehab for drugs and booze in 2005.
He can't stay clean. He is a heavy Beer drinker.
Cocaine allows you to drink 3 times what you normally would be able to handle because it counters the effect of booze. All speed drugs do that.
If you are a model and don't drink, you certainly would lose weight doing coke because it takes your appetite away and your metabolism runs faster as well.
However, If you drink beer and do coke, you end up drinking beer to excess. Thus, a "Beer Belly". Watch the video again, and you'll see the fat slob he became from mixing the two drugs. "Sometimes in life, things are exactly as they appear". Quote from Morgan Freeman: "The Big Bounce".
You are a fool...shut it.
sharePersonally if they tried to make some sort of statement then Joaquin Phoenix took an insane part of his life doing so. It's a lot of effort and it basically turned him from a respected, Oscar-nominated actor into someone who radiates being mentally ill. If that was the plan, well, they succeeded.
shareUm, he was nominated for an Oscar in 2013 for The Master - long after his stunt. Not to mention other awards he won or was nominated for, such as 3 Golden Globes, a BAFTA, an Acadademy of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror Films, and dozens of others. So I'd say he's doing just fine. Nice try, though, but next time I'd suggest doing a little research before opening your trap and spewing untruths.
shareActually, next time I'm going to do the same thing, which is exactly as the *beep* I please.
shareI know this reply is from 9 years ago, but it is what it is, unfortunately.
If you’re “in the Industry” and “know some of the people involved”, and “know the truth”, why didn’t you just say so in your first reply instead of using it as a dubious attempt to win an argument?
Anyone on these boards, including myself can claim we’re in-the-know and have insider information. It doesn’t mean anything.
I studied ethnographic film and documentary film theory and this film is no Borat. Its not even a Land Without Bread (Luis Bunuel). There aren't "tons of crazy camera angles" at most there are 3 cameras, and the change in grain between angle changes indicates low budget cams, and not a pro setup.
I think the moment the film because real is when Joaquin fights someone in the crowd and then pukes. From the time the actor leaves the stage to his arrival at the toilet, there are no cuts. Joaquin pukes in the hallway and in the toilet. Doesn't look too fake. I don't think he was hiding fake vomit on him
a. during his rap show
b. and during his 'so called staged' fight
c. and then having security guards from the club help him squirt it out into a toilet and on the ground.
Take into account all the people who would have had to have been paid to pull off every stunt in this film, and it would easily have cost too much to be worth the effort. (not make films for a few years, smoke and do so many drugs that your voice is actually horse)
It think its an easy cop out to say "Hey, j/k lol"
I wasn't crazy!
Either way, I don't think he was crazy. I've seen people go through weirder changes than this. And it usually doesn't make them unsuccessful. They just fail at something and then move on.
People never realize how strange their real lives look on film when they've been on camera for so long.
Plus yea, he was def. on more drugs than cocaine.
Thinking you can rap will one day be an indicator of a medical diagnosis for a delusional state. I've known 3 people, all white guys who decided they would rap as their career. They were all messed up, on drugs, on pills and acted like *beep* They are all fine and normal now :)
You are joking?
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
Watch the movie again, and you will see that some of the *beep* that happens is obviously staged. The most obvious scene is the assistant trying to defecate on phoenix's face on camera. Who would do that? And if you watch the scene with Diddy in the recording studio, Phoenix is obviously acting. It was a brilliant movie with a clear point: when celebrities are riding high, the media jumps on the bandwagon, but when they hit a low, the media will turn against them and treat them like they are nothing. That Letterman interview was hard to watch because Letterman just couldn't let the beard thing go. It was a perfect interview for the movie, because it proved Phoenix's point.
share1. Don’t think everyone was in on the joke. Like Diddy. It was Borat-style.
2. Clearly most of the big celebs were there to be in on a great hoax. Otherwise they would not have participated.
3. The bed crap was too obvious. Practically camp (summer).
4. He was fat. Maybe channeling the De Niro-Raging Bull thing.
5. Didn’t believe the club fight and the excessive vomit. Plants and special effects (see Cohen, Larry).
6. Those scenes at the Oscars with Ben Stiller et al dressing up like JP?
Obviously none of that happened.
"What A-list actor pulling in 10's of millions dollars is going to throw that all away to make a stupid mockumentary that grossed $400k?"
An A-lister who can afford to do so knowing when he's done with his mock role that he will be just as big if not bigger when he returns? You said he made 10's of millions of dollars, which obviously he can afford to make a mockumentary and not really care about profit. Not every A-lister actor is the same, hell not all humans are the same.
have u seen it? wow man, went right over ur head. it can be debated, if u think its possible, even during a breakdown to go from an intelligent, artistic actor, one of our generations best actors, into a sudo intelligent, metaphor hacking idiot. the production company was called They Are Goin to Kill us, and, even tho they did a great job, there are several goofs. im not even gonna go into it, u debating this is the reason it was made.. a bit indulgent? yes, but actually a brilliant joke
shareWhy would any actor making 10 million dollar make another movie instead of enjoying his life. I call all of them stupid.
shareWow, you are amazingly stupid. There was a tongue in cheek joke every 2 seconds. How dense are you
shareWatch the editing of the film. It's clearly not an "on-the-spot" documentary. There are multiple angles, reverse pov shots, obvious that there is a professional crew managing the film. If you look at Rob Reiner's "Spinal Tap" it's the same exact thing. A real documentary wouldn't have the editing that this film does. That enough goes to show it's a staged film. So-called "reality TV' is just like this. What makes it "real" is how good the actors are in pretending it's real. Snooki, for example, is laughing all the way to the bank at everyone who thinks she really is that dumb.
shareI remember seeing the Letterman interview and losing the small amount of respect I had for Letterman in his treatment of JP. It was just not funny in any way shape or form. Kicking somebody when they are down (metaphorically of course) is cruel. It doesn't matter whether the film was a hoax, but the public attitude and treatment of JP regardless of anything he has said or done, is really disturbing. If "Anton" exists - he is so totally the c-word for treating someone he claimed was a friend of 15 years so disrespectfully. In some ways I pray it was not a hoax, for the distressed person JP is shown to be hopefully has family and friends to take care of him and a sanctuary to heal in... If it is a hoax, well that would be pretty low of Affleck and Phoenix. Lower than low. Mental illness is not something that should be f-ed with. There are more appropriate ways to expose the media for the creature it is. And I would never pay to see or hear him again. I give JP the benefit of doubt that he was unwell but getting better. May peace rest upon him. And if it was a hoax, shame on you guys. Shame on you.
shareI don't understand why you hope it wasn't a hoax. You approve of making a documentary of a mentally ill person? If everything is real, how does reflect on Casey Affleck? It makes him pretty selfish.
shareI think the shame should be on YOU dear.
So you prefer watching a person crashing down than admit you were hooked, am i right?
Also: in the movie NOONE says Joaquin is mentally ill, the MEDIA speculated about that.
The JP character is a delusional selfish drug addict.
Is Joaquin making fun of drug addicts? NO.
HE IS PLAYING A CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!!!!
His personal experiences aside, an actor has do deal with difficult roles.
Charlize Theron played a seria killer, whose victim's relatives are still alive.
Was she playing with those people feelings while portraying her character?
OF COURSE NOT.
Some people here really can see just black and white.
Wake up please!
Joaquin and Casey held up a mirror.
Many didn't like their own reflection.
Don't blame them. The mirror doesn't lie.
"a malcontent who knows how to spell"
It's obvious by the way it's shot that it's not real. Multiple camera angles, everyone is micced up all the time... not a hoax.
shareIt was a hoax. It was obvious it was a hoax. the person playing Joaquin's dad in the film is Casey's dad. All his family members were paid actors. I watched the whole thing and couldn't believe it for a second.
I admit when he announced he was retiring from acting to pursue a music career it sounded believable. But after watching this, and they even warned saying that by the end of it it will be obvious whether it is a hoax or real. And yes it is obvious. If you look at the cast to who played what its obvious. It wasn't even filmed where they said it was filmed in the mockumentary. Joaquin was making fun of those people as well as the people out there that will believe anything.
Someone once told me, "Every lie has at least some truth to it."
With the 4 years between films and the obvious physical changes (not just facial hair; he gained a lot of weight, which clearly wasn't done just for this little "mockumentary" that didn't have much commercial potential), I am guessing there is a LOT of truth to this. Obviously, scenes are staged, the "rap career" thing was made up... but him being a mess and wanting to retire from Hollywood for a bit? Totally true. I mean, it happened! He did kinda quit.
So, I think it's a mix of "hoax" and "backpeddle"...
-
Shuji Terayama forever.
I do agree somewhat. I think Joaquin really was fed up with the fakery of Hollywood, and too a large extent 'I'm Still Here' is his comment on the media that surrounds the industry. He was tired of it, definitely. It was acting, but so much of him was really "in there" with the coked-up loony version of himself he played in the film.
share[deleted]
[deleted]
Joaquin and Casey made this whole film up. He was never planning on leaving his acting career, he just wanted to show how gullible the media can be and in the process mock these so called 'reality shows' that pervert the business. He is a modern day genius a lot like Oscar Wilde back in the day !
share