THE JOKE'S ON US
Joaquin Phoenix's Publicity Stunt Generates More Buzz Than A $12 Million Film
SN'T IT FUNNY HOW THE PUBLICITY MACHINE WORKS?
Joaquin Phoenix quits ‘acting,’ goes on David Letterman to promote (ahem) a barely whispered-about movie, feigns indifference to Dave and the movie Two Lovers and the audience, and even more dangerously, the publicity game itself.
And snap, just like that, this little $12 million “last” movie of Joaquin’s gets more attention than a $12 million media blitz could buy.
La La Land’s legitimate shrink Dr. Drew Pinsky, who’s actually seems pretty level-headed most of the time, voices “grave concern” about Phoenix’s disheveled and flat affect and wonders aloud if the actor isn’t, A) intoxicated on something, or B) experiencing depression.
But if you watch Joaquin closely in the Letterman clip that’s now gone viral, he’s certainly lucid enough to take his own jabs at Dave.
For one, he’s quick to pitch a visit to the show once he gets his new hip-hop sound together, an offer that Dave derisively dismisses. But my guess is an appearance from Joaquin’s new band would garner Dave higher ratings than he’s gotten in years.
Then there’s Joaquin’s perfect pitch response to Dave’s snarl about showing up at the actor’s house and chewing gum. Is there anything more irreverent than sticking chewed gum under a table right under your host’s nose?
Dave, you see, is now an integral part of the machine that he also mocks when it is convenient for him. And he was pissed that Joaquin didn’t do the requisite song and dance that actors must do when they’re on the publicity tour. But remember that he who owns the media always gets the last word, so Dave got his revenge.
Do you know why you saw Joaquin at all? Because Worldwide Pants generously edited the clip and released it early over the Ethernet.
The big buzz is that Joaquin and his brother-in-law Casey Affleck are making a mockumentary similar to the 1984 movie based on the fictional bandSpinal Tap.
But if Joaquin really is quitting the business, Hollywood is losing one of its most talented performers, a fact that even Letterman himself acknowledged. Phoenix, who was brilliant in Walk The Line and Gladiator, says he’s quitting the field because it has lost its hold. "I was excited by it,” he told a reporter recently. And then it starts to become this thing."But I haven't had that feeling in a while . . . and my mom always told me, 'Be true to your heart.' "
I haven’t a clue what the truth is behind talented Joaquin’s scary “affect.” But you can bet I’m making a b line to the theater when Two Lovers comes out. Can’t wait to see how much this $12 million flick makes at the movies.
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Posted February 15, 2008
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