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I'm Not There
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Cate Blanchett
Genre:
Drama/Musical
Run Time: 135
min.
Release Date:
November 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Convoluted and questioning,
I’M NOT THERE is an insiders take on the life of poet/singer Bob
Dylan. And what I mean by “insiders” is that if you’re not in-the-know
of what Bob Dylan was like and how his life meted itself out, you’ll
probably be scratching your head rather than applauding (with one
notable exception which we’ll cover in a moment).
Six separate actors (and an actress) portray Dylan as he remakes himself
during times of tumult and exacerbation. The first is young black (yes,
black) Woody (Marcus Carl Franklin), a train-jumping blues-boy who tries
to focus on music of the past rather than the present. When he fails to
make it, he must move on and reinvent himself. And the incarnations are
many and bewildering (not unlike the man himself). From the pensive Jack
(Christian Bale, 3:10
TO YUMA), to the brutally uncompromising Robbie (Heath
Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT), to the solemn Billy (Richard Gere,
THE FLOCK),
Dylan’s music changed with his personae, and a barrage of his songs
carry throughout the production.
The big failing of I’m Not There, though, is its pacing, its unfocused
time-line, and the inability of many watchers to understand where, how,
and when we are. Although this style was also a plus in that it created
an original format (like Dylan himself), it leant itself to extreme
confusion. I hope some people out there aren’t watching and raving about
it simply because they don’t want to be seen as “musically uneducated”
or “art handicapped.” Sometimes the “I don’t understand what this was so
it must be good” attitude pops up at times like these. But sometimes
confusion is simply that: confusion.
But there is a shining moment that stands out amidst these bizarre
sequences, and that radiant star is Cate Blanchett (INDIANA JONES AND
THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL) as the uneffeminate Jude (Dylan’s drug
infested wonderlust time). Blanchett’s performance was striking in that
one never questions her masculinity nor her Dylanesque personae. Her win
at the Golden Globes (2008) for Best Supporting Actress was no surprise,
nor was her nomination in the same category at the Oscars. Nor her many,
many, many, many wins at film festivals across the globe.
I’m giving the film a positive rating based on Blanchett’s astounding
performance, which blew my mind. I know. I know. I’ve “got a lot of
nerve.”
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Image from I'm Not There
DVD cost: $17.86
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Colin Farrell was
originally cast as Robbie Clark. He dropped out of the film to admit
himself into rehab for a dependency on back pain medication. Heath
Ledger replaced him. Farrell would later take over for Ledger in The
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) after Ledger's death.
Movie Quote: "It's
like you got yesterday, today and tomorrow, all in the same room.
There's no telling what can happen."
Other Actors/Actresses
from I'm Not There
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