I'm Not There Review

"I'm Not There" reviews

Movie

I'm Not There

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-10-16 22:38:03

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Simultaneously head-scratching and thought-provoking, Todd Haynes' metaphorical Bob Dylan drama I'm Not There feels more like poetry (or music) than a biopic.

Story

Ostensibly the story of the man considered by many to be America's greatest songwriter, I'm Not There isn't a traditional narrative tale. Six different actors embody aspects of Dylan's life, mythology, and imagination; each goes by a different name, and each has his own road to travel. Some of them are clearly recognizable as Dylan stand-ins, while others have more symbolic connections to the singer's life and career. The story's ''action'' (such that it is) takes place between the '50s and the '80s, shifting back and forth depending on which character is in the spotlight. Some scenes portray recognizable moments in Dylan's life (going electric, for instance), while others are more enigmatic. Dylan devotees may well appreciate some of the film's more obscure storytelling choices, but casual fans looking for a decisive portrait of an American icon won't find it here.

Acting

While many aspects of I'm Not There are wide open to interpretation, the stars' performances are easier to evaluate. Three of the six--Cate Blanchett as defensive '60s artist Jude Quinn, Christian Bale as protest-music legend Jack Rollins (who later becomes religious Pastor John), and Ben Whishaw as irony-fueled interviewee Arthur Rimbaud--are identifiable Dylan doppelgangers, using everything from shaggy hair to vocal mannerisms to evoke him. Blanchett is the stand-out in this group; her Jude is cynical and vulnerable, nihilistic and idealistic. The other three ''Dylans''--Heath Ledger as rebel actor Robbie Clark, Marcus Carl Franklin as wandering troubadour Woody Guthrie, and Richard Gere as reclusive Billy the Kid--are more representative of the singer's career and material. Of this trio, Franklin, who's charmingly convincing as a world-weary traveler trapped in an 11-year-old's body, pulls off the most challenging acting feat.

Direction

Todd Haynes is known for inventive movies like Far From Heaven and Velvet Goldmine, but none of his previous films are quite as experimental as I'm Not There. The constant shifts in style, combined with the lack of a clear storyline, make the film tricky to follow and sometimes nearly impossible to understand. In that sense, it's like poetry--or song lyrics. And while you may not always ''get'' it, it's hard not to be caught up in the sensibility of it all. The movie raises questions about loaded topics like meaning, intent, message, art, and feeling, but I'm Not There doesn't aim to definitively answer these questions. Instead, it aims to get audiences pondering such Big Ideas. Those who embrace Bob Dylan, Haynes seems to suggest, should be more than up to the challenge. And those who aren't can at least enjoy the soundtrack...

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 1/2 stars.

Movie

I'm Not There

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-12-14 15:40:10

Provider

Review

As anyone even vaguely familiar with Bob Dylan's career will tell you, there are countless incarnations of the man, from the darling of the burgeoning Sixties folk scene to the born-again Christian of the mid-Eighties. Perhaps aware that no one man could depict such a multi-headed artist, Todd Haynes has six actors playing different Dylans, resulting in the most unconventional biopic of all time.

I'm Not There cuts back and forth between the different Dylans, some of whom are afforded different names and professions. Thirteen-year-old Marcus Franklin is the pre-fame Bob, his identity not yet fully realised; Ben Wishaw is the newly famous singer, embittered that his audience won't allow him to move on and embrace the electric guitar; Cate Blanchett is the Highway 61-era Dylan, speeding both on stage and off; Richard Gere is the post-motorbike accident star who's withdrawing from the world; Heath Ledger is the cynic of the mid-Seventies; Christian Bale is the Christian visionary, most of whose audience have deserted him.

Incredibly, all of the Dylans are superb, although it is Blanchett, sullen and scathing, who will receive the most applause for her portrayal of a man on the edge of a nervous breakdown. More incredible still is the fact that Haynes, in side-stepping a conventional portrait, has succeeded in unmasking Dylan in a manner that may never be surpassed.