If you are a Bob Dylan fan you have probably been well aware of this film for awhile now. If not you may have heard about it in passing. In passing, the main attraction is Cate Blanchette, an actress playing Bob Dylan. She resides in all of the posters and advertisements for the film. Despite her uncanny resemblance to Bob, you aren’t getting your ordinary biopic from Director Todd Haynes. What you are getting appears to be the anti-biopic - four men and one woman playing one person during different aspects of his life.
I suppose I should start out praising this movie where it succeeds. The cinematography is beautiful. During Cate's scenes (the drugged out Bob Dylan of 65-66) everything is in black and white. This is seemingly done to correlate directly to well known pictures of Bob from that time period - also in black and white. The rest of the movie is in color, and is also magnificent. The opening scene is Marcus Carl Franklin (the young black kid who is playing "woody guthrie”) running through a brightly lit field – grass is swaying and all - to the tune "Stuck Insight of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again". The cinematography blends marvelously with Dylan's music.
It should also be said that Heath Ledger was fantastic in his role. He looked the part of Bob Dylan, but did not over-act; instead he added his own touch to the part. His performance may not be highly regarded for that fact; however I believe it is his subtlety that goes a long way. He also had the most comprehensive storyline that could be understood by even someone who does not have previous knowledge on the subject. His part focused on how fame has affected him and his inevitable breakup with his wife. Another stand out performance was Marcus Carl Franklin, nailing the young energetic Bob Dylan who has a tendency to imitate Woody Guthrie because of pure admiration.
However, this movie would be better if it was just a mirage of images played along with Dylan songs. This movie is a nicely painted easter egg with nothing inside. For the viewers who are not well acquainted with Bob Dylan's life this movie will seem very dull - a whole array of references that cannot be figured out. For Bob Dylan fans you will know what is going on, however the point of it all remains a mystery. For you may have seen the documentaries No Direction Home and Don't Look Back. Many lines and specific scenes from those two movies are directly re-enacted and reworded. You will most likely grasp immediately where it came from, and somehow be satisfied (for the positive reviews from Bob Dylan fans) - however if you look a step further you may ask yourself why? What is the point of reenacting things from documentaries to the point of absurdity? The only insight that appears to be gathered from positive reviews of the movie is that it is exaggerating what people thought of Bob Dylan, the legend of Bob Dylan. However, if it is the legend of Bob Dylan, don't we already know it? If it's what we think of him - what is the point of showing this back to us? There is no point to the movie. There is no compelling storyline; there is no plot, no conflict, and no resolution. It is a joke. Tell this to lovers of the movie (misguided Dylan fans - I don't know how you could love this movie without being misguided and a Dylan fan) and you will surely get the opposite. They will say "You just want a Biopic!” to which I would reply “No, how about an insightful, thoughtful movie.”
In conclusion I don't think this movie can be enjoyed with people that are not already well acquainted with Bob Dylan's life, Bob Dylan's legend, unless you have an interest in cinematography. However, this can be enjoyed by Bob Dylan fans that enjoy pointless easter egg hunts - but I really don't see the point. The most redeeming part of this film came at the very end - about 10 seconds of the real Dylan playing his harmonica in a live concert. To me this was the point where I realized just how crappy the film I just watched was - I would rather watch him play even just one song instead of this bore of a movie. Overall I would give this film a 5/10.
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