Review of I'm Not There (2007) by Fredm. — 30 Nov 2007
Fascinating failure, lengthy and pretentious. Haynes' idea of exploring Bob Dylan's psychic personas through different actors is brilliant with two standout performances: Cate Blanchett as the mid-60s druggy, psyched-out Dylan and Marcus Carl Franklin as Dylan incarnating a runaway, Woody Guthrie-worshipping black boy.
The other Dylans, Christian Bale as a protest folkie turned Christian preacher, Heath Ledger as a womanizing movie star, Ben Whishaw as motormouth pseudo Rimbaud, and Richard Gere as an aged Billy the Kid, add no new revelations to the Dylan legend and the movie eventually becomes tedious and boring in its gimmickry.
Striking black and white scenes lifted directly from Fellini's "8 & 1/2" (even using Nino Rota's score) effortlessly blended with scenes of the American West eventually loose their attraction as conversations about art and the role of the artist don't bring new insight.
The soundtrack mixing original Dylan songs with covers by diverse acts such as Sonic Youth and Charlotte Gainsbourg is quite good but cannot save the film from its empty core. This film is a bore and Dylan deserves better.
This review of I'm Not There (2007) was written by Fredm. on 30 Nov 2007.
I'm Not There has generally received positive reviews.
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