This works so well that long before the end you don’t merely accept the use of these wildly diverse personae, but you may also even wonder whether Dylan’s story could properly be told any other way
I'm Not There (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:152
Fresh:117
Rotten:35
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: I'm Not There's unique editing, visuals, and multiple talented actors portraying Bob Dylan make for a deliciously unconventional experience. Each segment brings a new and fresh take on Dylan's life.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexuality and nudity.
Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Nov 21, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $3,728,430
Synopsis: Todd Haynes (VELVET GOLDMINE, FAR FROM HEAVEN) delivers this dazzling, experimental take on the life of popular music's most revered and enigmatic artist: Bob Dylan. In keeping with the... Todd Haynes (VELVET GOLDMINE, FAR FROM HEAVEN) delivers this dazzling, experimental take on the life of popular music's most revered and enigmatic artist: Bob Dylan. In keeping with the impossible-to-pin-down nature of Dylan himself, Haynes chose to cast six different actors to portray several incarnations of the groundbreaking troubadour. The result is a challenging, sprawling work that spans several decades and genres. Woody (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young black child with a folk music obsession; Jack Rollins (Christian Bale) is an upstart folksinger whose protest songs have ignited an entire generation; Arthur (Ben Wishaw) is a Rimbaud-esque figure who has begun to embrace a new form of lyrical poetry; Robbie (Heath Ledger) is a well-known actor whose marriage to the lovely Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) crumbles under the weight of his lifestyle; Billy (Richard Gere) is a slippery frontiersman who echoes Dylan's infatuation with the Old West and American folklore; and, finally, there is the substance-abusing, confrontational Jude (Cate Blanchett), who represents Dylan in the turbulent mid-1960s. Much in the same way that Dylan appropriated a vast array of musical styles to create his own vernacular, Haynes does the same thing with I'M NOT THERE, using his expansive knowledge of movie history to pay homage to a variety of movements and genres (Godard, Fellini, Lester, etc.). The typically extraordinary cinematographer Edward Lachman outdoes even himself this time around, incorporating so many different visual styles that it's impossible to decide which is the most beautiful. While the cast all fare well in their roles, it is Cate Blanchett who runs away with the picture, proving once again that she is one of the finest actors the movies have ever seen. [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Charlotte Gainsbourg, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams
Director: Todd Haynes
Director: Todd Haynes
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Producer: James D. Stern, John Sloss, John Goldwyn, Christine Vachon
Studio: Weinstein Company
Get This Movie
Reviews for I'm Not There
There are also some great performances from Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and, particularly, Blanchett. But director Todd Haynes works under the misapprehension that everyone who sees this film will have a detailed knowledge of Dylan.
This drama, a surreal, fractured examination of the mercurial singer-songwriter comes closer to revealing the man behind the music than anything that’s come before, but still preserves his essential mystery.
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.
Haynes, astutely perhaps, has created a biopic with little time for "justice" or indeed any of the reverence and piety of recent films such as Walk the Line or Ray.
A powerfully reverent exercise in remystification, an attempt to waft some of the clouds of glory back around the great man, clouds that might have dispersed in recent years.
A multifaceted diamond of a film. Todd Haynes joyously freewheels through the times of Bob Dylan.
You'll have your work cut out keeping track of Haynes' dotty intentions, but there remains something compelling in his mercurial art.
Of course, the big question is whether all this tricky stuff adds up to anything or is simply narrative razzle-dazzle.
Exactly as weird, deep, nonsensical, rambling and wheezy as Dylan's music. Haynes could have cut his movie in half, then reordered the scenes at random, and what he'd have would be no less cohesive than the product as it stands.
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.
Todd Haynes' masterful portrait of Bob Dylan scrutinizes the musician-poet-actor-artist-husband-father-outlaw and leaves him at once as mysterious as ever and yet somehow knowable.
You may know little more about Dylan than when you walked into the theater, but you'll have some interesting food for thought as concerns Todd Haynes' imaginings about Dylan.
The movie is not so much a biography as a fragmented tour through Dylan’s various personas and psyches.
takes us laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the screen with Dylan metaphors and anecdotes
Haynes's much praised film lifts a concept Todd Solondz used 2 years ago for (the superior in my opinion) Palindromes...and his idea of breaking Dylan down into the different personas he has played has mixed, albeit mostly intriguing results.
Latest News for I'm Not There
May 05, 2008:
RT on DVD: I'm Not There is Here! Plus, News of the Blu-Ray Xbox 360 Rumors...
Microsoft comments on rumors that they'll be putting Blu-Ray players in Xbox 360s and the MPAA's best anti-piracy agents have bounties on their heads. Read more of this week's... More...
January 18, 2008:
2008 Movie Extra FILMINK Awards
The nominations for the 2008 Movie Extra FILMINK Awards, taking place in Sydney and televised nationally on Movie Extra on March 12th, have been announced. More...
January 14, 2008:
And the Golden Globes Winners Are...
It was missing the glitz and glitter of previous years, but the 65th annual Golden Globes were held via press conference yesterday, with Atonement, The Diving Bell and the... More...
December 21, 2007:
Awards Mania: Spirits, SAGs Get Waivers, Announce Nominations; Uncertainty Surrounds Golden Globes
Just when you think awards season can't get any awards-ier, here come two more sets of nominations! More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- I'm Not There at Rotten Tomatoes
- I'm Not There at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!







