TWO years ago Oscar-winning star Joaquin Phoenix stunned the world when he announced his supposed retirement from acting to pursue a career in music.

Directed by his brother-in-law Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here was touted as a fly-on-the-wall documentary charting Phoenix’s 12-month journey from thespian to rapper.

News Shopper: Joaquin Phoenix stars in I'm Still Here

It wasn’t long into filming before rumours began to circulate that the whole debacle was nothing more than a practical joke.

Then finally, just a few days before the film’s cinematic release, Affleck and Phoenix came clean and revealed it was, as we all suspected, a big fat hoax.

So with that thorny issue out of the way, the pair could safely sit back and wait for their Academy Award nominations, right? Well, not quite.

Unsurprisingly, it received a frosty reception from the industry it tried to hoodwink, but all might have been forgiven if it was actually any good.

News Shopper: Joaquin Phoenix stars in I'm Still Here

So was all that time and embarrassment worth it? Probably not.

While it is curious to watch Phoenix metamorphosise into the uni-bomber, complete with straggly beard, pot belly and dreds, the knowledge of the film’s elaborate conceit removes the all important guessing game of is it real or not, which is surely the film’s major draw?

I'm Still Here works on several different levels - a satire of Hollywood, a black comedy, a practical joke and a mockumentary. Unfortunately, it fails to pull off any of these four things with much success and is ultimately a self-indulgent vanity project.

News Shopper: I'm Still Here is out now on DVD and Blu-ray

However, it is not without a sense of humour and watching Phoenix spit some rhymes with about as much talent as Bob The Builder makes for some painfully funny viewing.

The highlight comes when he meets with Sean “Diddy” Combs to discuss a possible collaboration. After nodding while staring off into the distance he angrily asks, “Are you, like, doing this as a joke?”

Ironically, by pretending to commit career suicide Phoenix has done just that and the film was largely ignored by cinemagoers.

The jokers are no doubt laying low now, licking their wounds and wondering where it all went wrong.

Let’s just hope they're not plotting another hilarious prank.

I'm Still Here (15) is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.