--- title: "I'm Still Here: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/im-still-here-2010/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/im-still-here-2010" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # I'm Still Here (2010): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 18 reviews: 8 positive, 8 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics lean towards approval, though the reviews split almost evenly between the warm and the lukewarm. Where they agree is on what the film is: a send-up of celebrity culture, and a sharp one when it works. Praise clusters around Joaquin Phoenix’s commitment to the act, whatever the act turns out to be, and around the awkward encounters with Sean Combs and Letterman, which several critics name as the funniest passages. A few also credit Affleck for keeping the humour on a tight leash. The reservations gather around the question the film declines to answer: whether any of it is real. For the sympathetic, the ambiguity is the point; for the rest, it leaves the film’s intentions muddy and its pacing slack. The spread is wide. The Los Angeles Times finds it glum and exploitative, The Independent more exasperating than entertaining, and Slant self-indulgent, though even the doubters admit the central joke lands now and then. ## Total Film — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 14 September 2010. Mottram finds the film sharp, often hilarious, and an incisive critique of celebrity culture. He singles out its ambiguity over whether Phoenix’s apparent collapse is real or an elaborate performance. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/i-m-still-here-review/) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2010. Wise finds the film an effective send-up of celebrity culture, though some scenes are less arresting. He singles out the awkward encounters with Diddy, Affleck and Letterman as its strongest moments. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/m-still-review/) ## Variety — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2010. Festival review. Felperin finds the film an utterly fascinating experiment, though its appeal depends partly on viewers’ curiosity about Phoenix’s public persona. She praises its examination of the blurry boundary between performance and reality, while noting its potentially troubling, tragic undertones. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/i-m-still-here-1117943443/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the mockumentary clever and entertaining, while recognizing its pointed critique of Hollywood. Phoenix’s mesmerising, hilarious performance is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-jokes-on-hollywood-in-i-m-still-here-7421627.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2010. Bradshaw finds the film funny and ultimately good, though its ambiguity leaves its intentions uncertain. He singles out the staged, amusing encounters with P Diddy and Phoenix’s humiliating attempt to win him over. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/16/im-still-there-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — The Associated Press Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2010. Festival review. The review finds the mockumentary uneven but increasingly engrossing, with uncertainty about its reality sometimes leaving viewers puzzled. It praises the film most when its tricks recede and Phoenix emerges as the subject of a funny, compelling character study. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/im-still-here-film-review-29947/) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2010. The page identifies this as a review, but its text is blocked behind a registration prompt. The critic's verdict and any specific praise or complaint are not visible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/-im-still-here/5017830.article) ## The AV Club — AV Club Staff Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2010. The review text is not available, so its verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the visible page. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/im-still-here-1798221370) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2010. The article text is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available page. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/movies/17affleck.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 3/5. 14 September 2010. Calhoun gives the film a middling three-star rating. The available description singles out its intimate documentary approach to Joaquin Phoenix’s public behavior, but the review text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/im-still-here-3) ## Slant Magazine — Simon Abrams Rating 2/4. 8 September 2010. Abrams finds the film self-indulgent and pretentious, though its central joke can be funny. He singles out the drawn-out final scene as the film’s most effective gag and a test of the viewer’s tolerance. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/im-still-here/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2010. Turan finds the film glum and dispiriting, ultimately more intriguing to speculate about than to watch. He praises how effectively it plays on expectations about celebrity behavior while faulting its exploitative, unconvincing portrayal of Phoenix’s apparent crisis. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-sep-10-la-et-stillhere-20100910-story.html) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2010. The critic finds the film more exasperating than entertaining and says its pacing is slow. They single out the Letterman appearance and Sean Combs’s reaction as especially droll moments. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/i-m-still-here-15-2081252.html) ## NME — Tim Chester Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2010. The critic argues that the film is a brilliantly subversive send-up rather than a real documentary. They praise Phoenix’s committed performance and the film’s skill at sustaining the hoax. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/why-joaquin-phoenixs-im-still-here-is-obviously-a-send-up-39386) ## Den of Geek — Joseph Ewens Rating 4/5. 10 September 2010. Ewens finds the film an intriguing portrait of a troubled psyche, despite a rushed, contrived ending. He praises its effectively scattered comic moments and gripping scenes of Phoenix’s career unraveling. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/im-still-here-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2010. Reynolds finds the film a riveting, funny, and bittersweet portrait of self-destruction, even as it leaves questions of authenticity unanswered. He praises Affleck’s carefully managed humor, especially the comic contrast between Phoenix’s grand ambitions and his increasingly ridiculous behavior. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a275602/im-still-here/) ## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez Rating B. 8 September 2010. The critic finds the film flawed and morally dubious but strangely watchable and entertaining. He praises its final sequence in Panama for its emotional resonance and suggestion of rebirth. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-im-still-here-doc-about-joaquin-20100908/) ## /Film — Peter Sciretta Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2010. Festival review. The critic finds the film entertaining as spectacle but says it falls short as art. He singles out other people’s reactions to Phoenix’s antics as its best moments. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/511052/tiff-movie-review-casey-afflecks-im-still-here/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/im-still-here-2010.md