Inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There is "a profoundly personal and passionate film" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times) that captures the essence of this elusive genius. Six different actors -- including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Oscar® nominee Cate Blanchett in a "soon-to-be-legendary performance" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) - each embody part of the Dylan legend: from Greenwich Village folk singer to electric guitar trailblazer to born-again preacher. Directed by Academy Award®-nominated writer/director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), I'm Not There is "unquestionably the year's most original American movie" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).
Unapologetically audacious, I'm Not There is more post-modern puzzle than by-the-numbers biopic. A title card sets the scene: "Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan." Yet the film features no figure by that name. Instead, writer/director Todd Haynes presents six characters, each incarnating different stages in the artist's career. Perfume's Ben Whishaw, a black-clad poet, serves as a slippery sort of narrator. The action begins with the wanderings of an 11-year-old black runaway named "Woody Guthrie" (Marcus Carl Franklin)--his raucous duet with Richie Havens on "Tombstone Blues" is a highlight--and ends with a silver-haired Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) watching the Old West die before his eyes. In the interim, there's the folk singer-turned-preacher (Christian Bale), the actor (Heath Ledger), and the rock star (Cate Blanchett, who has Don't Look Back Dylan down to a science). The chronology is purposefully non-linear, and editor Jay Rabinowitz cuts rapidly, Jean-Luc Godard-style, between cinéma vérité black-and-white and saturated color, Richard Lester-like slapstick and Fellini-inspired surrealism (Ed Lachman served as cinematographer).
What makes the picture fun for Dylan fans--and potentially frustrating for neophytes--is that every album and movie bears an alternate title. Ledger's Robbie, for instance, stars in "Grain of Sand," actually a reference to the Pete Seeger song. As in Haynes' glam rock reverie Velvet Goldmine, the trickery involves the entire cast. While Julianne Moore plays former lover Alice, a dead ringer for Joan Baez; Michelle Williams embodies elusive scenester Coco, i.e. Edie Sedgwick. If I'm Not There is less affecting than Control, the year's other big music film, it rewards repeat viewings like few biographical features. The soundtrack mixes originals with covers, like Jim James's heartfelt "Goin' to Acapulco." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
This movie will endure:
I am not even a big bob dylan fan, but this film is so well told and creative that it's the best I think of the year 2007 - understood it's non linear and a bit confusing but perfect for those times (and maybe these).
Interesting, but too long...:
Todd Haynes has proven his talent, and this idea of his was certainly profound and maybe a little TOO complete. At 2 ¼ hours, it gets a little tired. Casting the 6 different characters as the various incarnations of some un-named singer was interesting. Cate Blanchett won all the recognition, but Carl Marcus Franklin deserved every bit as much. (The Indie awards nominated him). Christian Bale was exellent, too, and Heath Ledger never looked better, equally as good. And Richard Gere has always been... more info
Nothing's Missing But Dylan:
If you sit through this interminable film school experiment, you'll find something good about it at the end. If you sit through this review, you'll find what's good about the film. Now you'll just find what's wrong with it. Let me count the ways. Yes, Cate Blanchett could be Dylan's body double, and I could watch her all the way through the film, but some of the other personae seem complete blanks playing cardboard cutouts. One reason is that the film, despite appearances, has no period sense. You hear... more info
Not Impressed:
My wife and I sat down with our 3 newest Netflix packages, and decided to watch this one second (after George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, another movie you should miss). Now, I've had my fair share of post-modernism by now. What college student studying during the past 20 years hasn't? But this was not post-modern, or chic, or creative in any way (besides Blanchett, more on that in a minute); nay, it was merely one non-sequitur after another. Random vignettes with little to no purpose are... more info
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