Finally, finally I saw I’m Not There. And I loved it. It was as good as I expected, funny and with a love for details that was just a-fucking-mazing.
I don’t know a lot about Bob Dylan, so it’s hard for me to judge whether the film is an accurate portray of him. But I felt like I got to know someone – whether or not that someone is really Bob Dylan, I can’t say. But it doesn’t matter anyway (at least to me).
Todd Haynes really has a thing for very good musician bio-pics (and if you still haven’t seen Velvet Goldmine it’s high time!). And he knows who to give the responsibility for the casting (for Velvet Goldmine it was Susie Figgis and for I’m Not There Laura Rosenthal). Do I really need to reiterate the perfect cast? Probably not, but I’m going to anyway :). Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin [Watch out for that little guy, he’s absolutely wonderful!], Charlotte Gainsbourg, Richard Gere, Bruce Greenwood, Heath Ledger, Julianne Moore and Ben Whishaw. And Kris Kristofferson has a very nice narrating voice.
I adored the small jokes that were just standing around – the appearance of the Beatles, the zoo and the poet (Ben Whishaw) is called Arthur Rimbaud, for krissakes.
And I need to get the soundtrack.
There are only two things I can critisise about the film:
1. It was a bit confusing (which I don’t mind when I’m in the right mood – leaves room for discussion).
2. There wasn’t nearly enough Christian Bale and he became a Born-Again-Christian (but that’s only a real criticism if you are a HUGE fan of CB – like me – and an atheist with an aversion against anything even remotely like a dogmatic doctrine – like me)
kalafudra's Stuff 
I loved the film too but did have a couple of issues with it none of which I remember now. :) My favorite scene from the film was when Cate Blanchett gets grilled at the press conference. Ben Wishaw’s scenes were brilliant too.
As for your criticism of Bale; well…he excelled with the role he was given. Being an atheist myself, I’m not sure you can blame him for becoming ‘Born Again’…it was supposed to reflect the brief period of existential crisis Dylan went through!
I know why they had him “Born Again” but it bothered me anyway – but I am a little allergic to all of that since I spent a year sharing a room with a converted protestant who hated me for not converting with her (and several other things) and who would listen to Christian Rock only, no matter if I was there or not.
Anyway – not critisising Bale’s acting at all. :)
@Kalafudra: I totally empathize. I studied at a Christian minority University for 4 years where people like me were the minority. At one point, we were even called the ‘children of satan’ which would come as a surprise as I look quite ‘cherubic’. :) And don’t get me started on Christian Rock! Arrrrgh!
I don’t think I ever got called a child of satan [and a part of me envies you for that ;)]. But I’ve had my share of conversion talks, strange looks, outright hostility and problems with the religion teacher – and “accidentally” priest of the community I grew up in – because my parents decided that I should chose my own faith (which ultimately I didn’t, being an atheist now but that’s another story).
Christian Rock still hunts me in my nightmares… (that’s the disadvantage of dreaming with a soundtrack)
I want to be called a child of Satan, too!!! (Deadra Hellspawn, hehe)
But I’m only a very bad Catholic, which is really the only kind there is (we’re all so jubilantly guilty and self-rightously unworthy), so I’m not even *special*…
Seriously, Christian fundies freak me out. They push all my buttons. And they just seem to be popping up *everywhere*, lately. There’s a party called The Christians running in the Lower Austrian regional elections…
I like the sound of Deadra Hellspawn. Maybe you should change your name. :)
I wouldn’t care so much about religious fundies if they wouldn’t regularly try to convert me. (I don’t wanna!!!)
But I’m pretty sure that the Christians won’t get far in Lower Austria.