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I'm Not There
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Well-acted, mature Dylan biopic for big fans only.
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I'm Not There
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What's the Story?
Director Todd Haynes' film I'M NOT THERE pays tribute to legendary singer, songwriter, and poet Bob Dylan. Ironically, the movie's six main characters are never actually called Bob Dylan; in fact, there's no mention of his name at all except for an "inspired by" credit. (And, of course, the soundtrack is filled with his music.) Instead, the six characters are all metaphoric representations of different facets of Dylan's persona, from an 11-year-old African-American boy (Marcus Carl Franklin) who rides the rails and goes by the name Woody Guthrie to a Greenwich Village-based folk singer named Jack Rollins (Christian Bale) to a hip Hollywood actor (Heath Ledger) whose marriage to a lovely painter (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is failing. There's also a 19-year-old interviewee named Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw), aging Old West outlaw Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) and, most thrillingly, Cate Blanchett's's late-'60s icon Jude Quinn. Some of the characters are infinitely more interesting than others, but all are supposed to spark a connection to Dylan's biography.
Is It Any Good?
Haynes is, stylistically, a master of his craft, and his film is a moving, innovative tribute to Dylan. It's likely that I'm Not There will one day be studied in graduate film courses. But audiences less interested in style than substance will have to make do with Blanchett's sublime performance and the notable work of Bale, Franklin, and Gainsbourg. Each story is also strengthened by its own color palette and accompanying Dylan song.
With such a stream-of-consciousness approach to Dylan's essence, those without extensive background knowledge of the man and his art are left out of the collective joke/excitement/nostalgia. By the time the real singer plays his harmonica, in close-up, at the very end, we've come no further in understanding who the real Dylan is or was -- but it's fascinating, albeit at times frustrating, to guess which parts Haynes got right.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's messages about artists, fame, music, and authenticity. What points do you think the director was trying to make? How is the film vastly different than other musicians' biopics?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 21, 2007
- On DVD or streaming: May 5, 2008
- Cast: Cate Blanchett , Christian Bale , Heath Ledger
- Director: Todd Haynes
- Inclusion Information: Gay directors, Female actors
- Studio: Weinstein Co.
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 135 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language, some sexuality and nudity.
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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