I'm Not There
(2008)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.... More
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.Hide
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Winner for Best Supporting Actress (Blanchett), Golden Globes 2008. Volpi Cup winner (Best Performance) for Blanchett, Venice Film Festival 2007.
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Directed by Todd Haynes ('Velvet Goldmine', 'Far from Heaven')
Starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, David Cross
Written by Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Out Now (On-Demand,
DVD or Blu-Ray)
Flicks Review
BY Andreas Heinemann Flicks Writer
All the actors utilised acquit themselves well and through this device Dylan is successfully portrayed as a complex individual who went through many personal changes. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of mid 60’s folk-rock era Dylan has garnered the most praise and it is all justified. Her performance is more than a ‘butch it up’ gimmick, she captures his mannerisms expertly and is also convincing in portraying the broadest range of emotions demanded of any cast member. Heath Ledger shows what a massive loss he is to the movie going public, whilst Christian Bale was impressive in the shorter amount of screen time he was allowed. Meanwhile, the child actor (Marcus Carl Franklin) who played Woody Guthrie almost upstages all his more well-known cast members.
Todd Haynes supplements the fine acting with almost every cinematic trick in the book. Most are them are effective in giving the film an adventurous visual quality, with only the mockumentary sequences falling short of the mark. A friend suggested they were reminiscent of folk music comedy A Mighty Wind and in retrospect I think he was right, which is a significant drawback when the moments in question were intended as deadly serious.
Somehow, the film as a whole is less than the sum of its admittedly impressive parts. Part of this may be due to the story it tells. It wanders from episode to episode without a strong progression of events, which becomes an issue the further we go into the two hours plus running time. It is a long film, and by the end it seems like it is being dragged out for no particular reason. Added to this is the desire to recreate, even reinforce, the mythology that surrounds Bob Dylan. It is more concerned with preserving his aura than telling the audience anything about the man, a desire that could have been satisfied with a briefer piece of work.
Dylan’s legion of fans will no doubt herald it as an artistic triumph. The casual viewer, however, may be left impressed by the craftsmanship but wondering what exactly was the point of I’m Not There.
The Peoples' Reviews
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I'm Not There
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This is a beautiful movie. Cate Blanchett is brilliant and does justice to the 1960's Dylan in the Pennebaker documentary. The Dylan in this film is an enigma like Dylan himself. That's the point. It's creative and provocative. It's not a bio pic.
I was blown away! A stunning film, filled to the brim with talent, great cinematography and enjoyment!
Amazing! You'll never see a better version of Dylan than Cate Blanchett!
this movie was wonderful , the portraying aspects of dylans personas and life's events through different film grades was aesthetically pleasing , and the actors and actresses performances were top notch , special mention of cate blancett's performance whose likeness to dylan was uncanny . for those thinking of seeing this movie for a full biography of a musicians life like what walk the line did , this is probably not the movie for you it is more poetic and is created to evoke not inform.
The elliptical tracks can bore or lose you too easily. But it beats Ray by a mile.
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The Press Reviews
I'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. Full Review
An 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. Full Review
What Haynes has essentially done is create a film that is a Bob Dylan song, one of his best. Full Review
The 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. Full Review
So 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. Full Review
Anyone can make a bad movie, but it takes a good filmmaker to make one as bad as I'm Not There. Full Review
A 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... Full Review
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