I'm Not There
An experimental biography of Bob Dylan, employing six different actors to embody the illusive, enigmatic singer-songwriter - including Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Christian Bale.
A young, Bob (Marcus Carl Franklin), in 1959, rides the rails '30s-styles and identifies himself as a Woody Guthrie. He is admired for his talent wherever he travels, until he is upbraided one day by a wise lady who admonishes him to "live in your own time". And so, he (now Bale) moves to Greenwich Village, New York and takes the scene by storm with the likes of The Times They Are A-Changin. He (now Ledger) moves on to star in a Hollywood film called Grain of Sand, and gets married to Claire (Charlotte Gainsborough). Then, Bob (now Blanchett in a mult-award winning performance) tours England, and starts to play with his guitar plugged in. In Britain he meets Allen Ginsberg (David Cross) and the Beatles, begins to stray from his wife, and deals with a crafty journalist trying to expose him as a fraud.
- Director:
- Todd Haynes ('Velvet Goldmine', 'Far from Heaven')
- Writer:
- Todd HaynesOren Moverman
- Cast:
- Christian BaleCate BlanchettRichard GereHeath LedgerBen WhishawMarcus Carl FranklinCharlotte GainsbourgJulianne MooreMichelle WilliamsDavid Cross
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Andreas Heinemann
flicksThe musical bio-pic is experiencing a resurgence as of late. Ray, Walk the Line and La Vie En Rose have all collected Oscars for their principle cast members, while the first two grossed heavily at the box office. The next film of this ilk to emerge is I’m Not There, maybe the most eagerly awaited of them all. For a start, the subject is Bob Dylan who has a following of fans and pop-cultural significance matched only by maybe a Lennon or Presley. Furthermore, Todd Haynes, who comes with a reputation of creative individuality (evidenced by his decision to portray Dylan with a range of actors, the facet that has drawn the film the most attention) helms the piece.
Total Film
pressA fascinating work for cinema and Bob Dylan fans alike. Haynes has painted a perfect picture tribute to the musical icon that only misses a beat in the final quarter. One actor simply couldn’t do the man justice...
San Francisco Chronicle
pressAnyone can make a bad movie, but it takes a good filmmaker to make one as bad as I'm Not There.
Rolling Stone
pressSo what if nothing is revealed. Todd Haynes is a mischievous visionary who puts the music and the myth of Bob Dylan before us in I'm Not There and dares us not to revel in the troubadour's poetic, contentious, ever-changing essence. It's a feast for the eyes, the ears and the Dylanologist scratching around our minds and hearts.
New Zealand Herald
pressThe film's non-linear structure and the haunting, brilliant final shot announce that this is neither biography nor documentary. It's a exhilarating, poetic rumination on the most enigmatic, charismatic figure in modern music. And, like any Dylan album you want to name, it is a work of at least partial mastery.
Film Threat
pressWhat Haynes has essentially done is create a film that is a Bob Dylan song, one of his best.
Empire Magazine
pressAn extraordinary attempt to encapsulate the many faces of Bob Dylan that plays better to the convert than the sceptic. Like the nasal twang of the man in question, the film finally beguiles more than it irritates.
Christchurch Press
pressI'm Not There may have been ''inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan'' and certainly this filmic experiment will add to the mythologising of the singer, but sadly it fails to be inspiring of anything other than weariness over more than two hours. Fascinating for big Dylan or Todd Haynes fans only.
Flicks, Andreas Heinemann
flicksThe musical bio-pic is experiencing a resurgence as of late. Ray, Walk the Line and La Vie En Rose have all collected Oscars for their principle cast members, while the first two grossed heavily at the box office. The next film of this ilk to emerge is I’m Not There, maybe the most eagerly awaited of them all. For a start, the subject is Bob Dylan who has a following of fans and pop-cultural significance matched only by maybe a Lennon or Presley. Furthermore, Todd Haynes, who comes with a reputation of creative individuality (evidenced by his decision to portray Dylan with a range of actors, the facet that has drawn the film the most attention) helms the piece.
Total Film
pressA fascinating work for cinema and Bob Dylan fans alike. Haynes has painted a perfect picture tribute to the musical icon that only misses a beat in the final quarter. One actor simply couldn’t do the man justice...
San Francisco Chronicle
pressAnyone can make a bad movie, but it takes a good filmmaker to make one as bad as I'm Not There.
Rolling Stone
pressSo what if nothing is revealed. Todd Haynes is a mischievous visionary who puts the music and the myth of Bob Dylan before us in I'm Not There and dares us not to revel in the troubadour's poetic, contentious, ever-changing essence. It's a feast for the eyes, the ears and the Dylanologist scratching around our minds and hearts.
New Zealand Herald
pressThe film's non-linear structure and the haunting, brilliant final shot announce that this is neither biography nor documentary. It's a exhilarating, poetic rumination on the most enigmatic, charismatic figure in modern music. And, like any Dylan album you want to name, it is a work of at least partial mastery.
Film Threat
pressWhat Haynes has essentially done is create a film that is a Bob Dylan song, one of his best.
Empire Magazine
pressAn extraordinary attempt to encapsulate the many faces of Bob Dylan that plays better to the convert than the sceptic. Like the nasal twang of the man in question, the film finally beguiles more than it irritates.
Christchurch Press
pressI'm Not There may have been ''inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan'' and certainly this filmic experiment will add to the mythologising of the singer, but sadly it fails to be inspiring of anything other than weariness over more than two hours. Fascinating for big Dylan or Todd Haynes fans only.
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