joaquinIf ‘Two Lovers’ does turn out to be Joaquin Phoenix’s last ever movie then at least he’s going out on a high note. His performance as the borderline dysfunctional Leonard Kraditor torn between the smartly sensible Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) and the sexily screwed up Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow)  is both riveting and totally convincing.

Just as Robert De Niro was Travis Bickle in  Taxi Driver or Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, Phoenix has that rare ability, which he also displayed as Johnny Cash in ‘Walk The Line’ to be totally at one with the character he is playing.

The tag-line in the Italian trailer for the movie is to the effect that sometimes you have to lose everything to find out who you really are which implies that the end of ‘Two Lovers’ is a happy one. I think it’s far too ambiguous a finale to make such a glib conclusion and this rush to simplify stories typifies how the entertainment business wants to nullify complexity and leave no loose ends dangling.

Phoenix knows how to bring out the complicated and contradictory aspects of the characters he plays. Precisely how he does this is not easy to explain and it’s not surprising that he (and De Niro for that matter) is ill at ease talking about his roles. Neither is he the type to reel off witty anecdotes about on-set experiences.

On Joaquin Phoenix’s by-now infamous appearance on the Letterman Show in February 2009,  he was quizzed about working with Isabella Rossellini  – “Do you have any funny stories?” asked Letterman.  Phoenix’s non committal shrug was followed by the brilliant rebuttal : “I’m sure something fun happened” .

The You Tube video of this show went viral soon after it was aired and fuelled speculation about the mental state of  Phoenix. It’s true that he looked like a Blues Brother who’d gone to seed but having watched the interview several times I am most struck by the insensitivity and disrespect  David Letterman showed as he gibed Phoenix for the sake of cheap laughs.

From the outset Letterman resorted to snide comments about Phoenix’s eccentric appearance and even chided him for chewing gum. “What can you tell us about your days with the uni-bomber?”  he asked at one point; the implication being that Phoenix’s ramshackle clothes and ragged beard made him look like a terrorist.  This was not only unfunny and offensive but also nonsensical.  Real life terrorists go out of their way not draw attention to their appearance which, whatever else you might say, was not something that applied to Phoenix’s look.

Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre but apparently genuine ambition to embark on a hip-hop career has been widely ridiculed but actually seems a sane response is to avoid the hoops you’re expected to jump through to maintain your celebrity appeal.

And, wouldn’t it be great if he actually released a classic rap album and made dumbed down ‘entertainers’ like Letterman eat their words.