I'm Not There Review

I just watched an hour of the Bob Dylan movie: I'm Not There and I'm going to have to say that it is one of the worst films I have ever seen. It could've been put together a whole lot better but the way it is feels very jumbled, nonsensical, uninteresting, and to be quite frank amateur! I had no invested interest in the movie which is why I didn't finish watching it. I feel it would have been better if it was edited into a chronological sequence instead of jumping every which way which could have worked but actually ended up screwing up the movie. It tries to be a Ulysses but ends up as some cheap drug-store paperback. Some hail it as a great work of art but in my opinion I think it was horrible.

Despite all that however, the acting is great, except for Cate Blanchett who just didn't seem to fit into the role. I especially liked Christian Bale's portrayal.

What other critics say:

"There are those who will applaud what Haynes and his actors have accomplished, and I can understand its appeal on an intellectual level. But I am not a supporter of film without form or art without structure."

"Even with new information provided in the film, however, his personality remains not so much elusive as cantankerous, particularly in contrast with the expansiveness of his songs. That gap gives I'm Not There something of a hollow centre."

"It's not nearly as enjoyable as one of his rambling, meditative songs, though perhaps it is aspiring to be the cinematic equivalent. Give me "Tangled Up in Blue" any day over this incoherent, tangled trip."

"Too often, it’s the MOVIE that isn’t there. What’s meant to be archetypal comes across as superficial."

"It doesn't work. It is just a mess -- though the sound track, full of Dylan songs is, of course, good to hear."

-c.s.