I'm Not There (2007)

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  July 30, 2011

  jennifxu

  I have spent a week contemplating what to say about this movie and still I'm left speechless. I'll always be left speechless, I think. This might be the first movie I've been left simultaneously awed and confused as hell. And by awed I mean AWED the highest extent of the word.
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  Of course I've got to give credit to ALL the Bob Dylans, not just Cate Blanchett. Each aspect of Dylan's character could be a stand-alone story by itself. Heath Ledger's story in particular made me cry because it was so beautiful and sad and flustered and self-assured all at once. I love how Haynes enmeshes each discrete style with a particular embodiment of Dylan, from grainy documentary to 8 1/2 Fellini to crackly b&w to expansive Western. The music is so perfectly selected, it's magical.
  
  Haynes is a true auteur: methodical, original, and COOL. I cannot believe freaking Jason Reitman got an Oscar nomination when there's genius like Haynes lying around. But I'm Not There will remain at the selectively viewed area like all art films, like it or not.
  
  I don't really understand it, but that is part of the appeal. I WANT to understand. Please help me understand, Bob Dylan.

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  August 15, 2010

  cosmo313

  I could be wrong, but I believe this is probably the most challenging and befuddling film I've ever seen. Be warned though, this is not a "straight" bio-pic about Dylan, and the unconventional manner in which things are done will likely simultaneously frustrate and excite those w... read moreho experience it: just like Dylan himself. Unique is a great word to describe the man and this film. It's quite ambitious, and, really, probably the only way to capture the man on film (aside from legit documentaries or concert films).
  
  SUmmarzining this film isn't easy, and it really doesn't provide much insight or answers, but I'm pretty sure that's the point. I wonder what the man himself thinks of this? Aside from song credits at the end and an opening label which states, "Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan", the name Bob Dylan is not once spoken or seen during thr film. For that ,and the way this movie unfolds, I give a big salute. That's ballsy. I mean, this is made by the same guy who made a movie about Karen Carpenter starring Barbie dolls, which in itself is unique, but to make a movie about a man and not really do it, and do so unapologetically- that takes true courage,
  
  The more you know about Bob Dylan, and the more you like and are familiar with his work, the better whe nit comes to this film. While it's not impossible for someone unfamiliar with Dylan to see this movie and get into him afterwards, it seems unlikely. I'm neither a newbie or a diehard, so some of the references and easter eggs (of which there are an uncalculable amount) went over my head, but I got a lot out of this nonetheless.
  
  One of the most talked about aspects of this movie is how six people (seven if you think the narrator counts) are cast as Dylan, por rather, various aspects of his life, career, and persona. The title of the film is probably the most appropriate film title I've seen in quite some time. So, given the enigmatic nature of the man and the movie, you can argue that the point is that it's not about him, and it's not supposed to be, but it's really about perceptions of the artist instead. The casting choice is truly inspired: the six people are made up of 5 adults, 1 youth, 5 males, 1 female, 4 caucasians, one African American, 2 Auusies, a Brit, someone who's Welsh, and two Americans. If you count the narrator, you need to add 1 white American man to the totals.
  
  Marcus Carl Franklin and Richard Gere represent young and old mythological tall tale aspects of the entity in question. Christian Bale represents both the acoustic folk and (later) born again Christian eras. LEdger makes up the personal and romantic aspects of the life, while Whishaw represents an elliptical trickster providing responses to questions. The one who garnered the most attention, and who truly steals the show, is Cate Blanchett. She represents the Mid-sixties era which included "turning electric" and being involved in a motorcycle accident that may have been anything but that.
  
  All of them do an excellent job, but the ones who shine thje most are Frnaklin and Blanchett and that's not just because they are a woman and a black kid. LEdger and Bale tie one another when it comes to how they rank. Whishaw is good, just not used too much. GEre is good, but just underwhelming. The sequences involving him are just too tedious and uninteresting to me. One could say the same about the Bale sequences since it's obvious Haynes doesn't dwell on them enough, instead focusing on the Blanchett stuff, which is the most interesting.
  
  Once again, I'll make a comparison to Dylan by saying that the film eschews traditional notions about how something is done (or should be), and presents things in a non-linear, elliptical style which uses different shooting styles, color, B & W, documentary style, etc. As I said earlier, this makes things very frustrating and hard to get into, but yet, it all kinda works somehow, well, almost.
  
  As a "movie" this doesn't work at all, kind of like "The Passion of the Christ". If you view this as an experimental art piece, it's better, but not a masterpiece. Same with "The Passion..". It works well as an "experience", but not as something else.
  
  If you've read this far into it, you should know whether or not this is for you. I'll admit that I did get a little bored, and some of it is tedious and drags here and there (the film idoesn't need to be 135 mins), but I was floored by what I was seeing. Now that I think about it, Dylan probably does get a kick out of this. We'll never know though, just like the truth about him. The movie blends fact with fiction, making it hard to discern truth and reality, and in a way ,that's good, because it spoils the mystery and the puzzle- the answer to which is probably very disappointing and underwhelming anyway.
  
  I've rambled enough about this, but it's hard to really say something concrete and definitive about this- just like how it is with the real Bob Dylan, who or whatever that may be.... ;)

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  December 5, 2009

  ceWEBrity

  A bold, batshit film, and a perfect way to illustrate a man's life while barely discussing it at all. I don't know anything about Bob Dylan, but seeing all of these unusual stories, and unable to discern what was fact and what was Todd Haynes' imagination, I really felt like I un... read morederstood the image that Dylan tries to portray and all of its connotations. What I liked most about I'm Not There was its unconventional portrayal of a person trying to remain enigmatic, and ultimately failing, in the face of enormous fame. Cate Blanchett's section, where she channels a main who deliberately presents himself as obtusely and infuriatingly as possible, reinforces this theme especially well. Even better is how well it folds into Heath Ledger's chapter, where we get a portrait of a man clearly drunk on his own fame and admittedly unique talents, a bullish intellectual with a clear-headed foil near him to see how wrong he truly is (Charlotte Gainsbourg, my 2009 MVP and giving a surprisingly stunning performance here). In fact, all of the sections of the film are intertwined in creative and subtle ways, creating not so much a linear biography, but an imagined cross-section that attempts to delve into a mysterious brain. This is the movie La Vie En Rose wishes it could be. The cast is uniformly on-point here, although some parts of the movie don't quite work as well as others. It may be my disdain for Richard Gere speaking, but the end of the film just doesn't do it for me, despite the nihilism and seclusion generally fitting well with everything that follows in this fantasy parade. I think this is a great experiment that anyone could get on board with, provided they have the patience to think about WHY it has been assembled; it's, more than a lot of movies, like a puzzle, a collection of totally senseless pieces coming together in unusual ways to form a coherent composite. Recommended for anyone, but especially to Dylan fans.

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  October 24, 2009

  puffchunk

  I'd have enjoyed it more if I knew anything about Bob Dylan. I loved the approach to this film, and the meaning behind it. Unfortunately it was far too long and drawn out, and after a while I felt like I was watching a David Lynch movie. Cate Blanchett did a steller job playin... read moreg a man.

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  October 1, 2009

  SirPant

  I like a bit of Bob Dylan now and again but my lack of knowledge on the singer, or should I say, due to the fact I'm not completely obsessed by the man, I found this film a little hard to follow at times. That's said, the direction and performances were fantastic. I liked the con... read morecept too but it?s not original, it was executed in a much better way in a film called Palindromes, which is a much better film.

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  June 26, 2009

  76Majikat

  This film was a brave attempt, but it easily causes confusion. It?s very arty in it?s interpretation, which works well if you have an understanding of that interpretation from the beginning, otherwise you will find yourself lost throughout the film.
  
  Ironically none of the Act... read moreors used looked like Dylan (as it seems was intentional) apart from Cate Blanchett, who at times did resemble the iconic star and was without doubt the best version.
  
  What bothers me is as a fan of Bob Dylan is that I found the film was more about the film style than Dylan itself, which pleased me as a film fan, but not a Dylan fan. Also the film isn't particularly revealing in a conventional sense. I believe the different sides of Dylan came across well, but with a loss of content somehow, I hardly know anything more about Dylan than before I watched the film. It almost seems like a working progress.

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  March 11, 2009

  sononothing

  I'm Not There is the biography of Bob Dylan. And it isn't. Now you're probably wondering what in the hell I'm talking about, so let me explain. The film takes segments of Dylan's life and rewrites them into little stories that are related to each other... and not. Writer/director... read more Todd Haynes gives us a film that isn't your typical music bio-pic, but something that's just as much of an enigma as Bob Dylan himself is.In this case six Bobs are better than one and with the cast that's playing Dylan(s) you can't really go wrong with this flick.

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  September 7, 2008

  ajaymuthecooldevils

  Well, to be honest, I must admit that I didn't get the story so well... I even pretty confused with how the story work in this movie... But luckily. this movie had a great and brilliant cast so I'm not too bored with the story because all of them been put on some good performance... read mores here... Especially for Cate Blanchett... She's outstanding I think, and she really deserved an Oscar for that performance... A really great performance I think... Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Richard Gere, been trying to put on some good performances here, but I thought it wasn't enough... They were good, but not outstanding, yet it's not their best... The most notable performance comes from Marcus Carl Franklin I think... Even he is the youngest of 6 main actors of this movie, but I think he shows a really good potential there... A nice one... Overall, it's not a great movie, not bad either, it just helps by the cast performances... Especially from Cate Blanchett, I really love that, and she deserved a lot of awards for that role I think...

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  September 2, 2008

  arashxak

  Overrated, There are a few good things & the main idea is great but I didn't like the formation & the movie is not satisfying at all, I expected more from the director of a great movie like Velvet Goldmine

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  August 2, 2008

  xXGiNoBiLiPRXx

  The movie was kinda dull, I didn't like it that much. The movie is good but not my type. Since arriving in New York City?s folk music scene in the 1960s, American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has become a major figure in popular music, influencing millions with his chart topping s... read moreongs. His records have earned Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. This film is ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where seven characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work.

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• Christian Bale as Jack
• Cate Blanchett as Jude
• Marcus Carl Franklin as Woody
• Richard Gere as Billy
• Heath Ledger as Robbie
• Kris Kristofferson
• Ben Whishaw as Arthur
• Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire
• David Cross as Allen Ginsberg

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