Best movie ever!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

As a disclaimer, I think it is important to say that I do not know a whole lot about Bob Dylan. I thought I knew enough when I started the film, and quickly learned I was wrong. "I'm Not There" excels as a work of art, and an anti-biopic – though it can be very enigmatic at times. The story tends to be hard to follow, as it jumps between characters and aspects of Dylan's work. This is most likely done on purpose, but it makes the narrative difficult to understand. This film is not one that allows the audience to sit back, an relax as they watch. It requires an attentive eye, and allows for an ambiguous definition, as the viewer must come to their own conclusion. After the movie has ended, you have to take the pieces of evidence given, much like pieces of a mosaic, and put them together yourself. In creating your own picture, you may find yourself missing a piece, not liking what you see, or wondering if you've put them together correctly. But that too is purposeful.

This movie jumps back and forth between six personalities supposed to represent Bob Dylan. Woody Guthrie is an 11-year-old African American hobo. Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw) is a teenage poet. Jack Rollins (Christian Bale) sings with Alice Fabian (Julianne Moore) in the 60's protesting the war. Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) plays Jack Rollins in a biography. Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett) is a folk singer who starts playing the electric guitar. Billy McCarty (Richard Gere) is secretly the outlaw Billy the Kid.The most compelling performance and the most audacious attempt belongs to Cate Blanchett. I wouldn't mind a whole movie with Blanchett as Dylan. The way this movie works is very random and artsy. I would prefer concentrating on any one of the personalities rather than following all six. It's ambitious but it's structurally scattered.

First and foremost, Bob Dylan is a genius and a perfect subject for interpretation. A great idea with mixed results in I'm Not There. Cate Blanchett opens as Jude Quinn, a mid 1960s era Dylan getting on stage but quickly shown in a motorcycle accident. The British actress looks uncannily like the folk singer, especially in silhouette. Marcus Carl Franklin portrays Woody Guthrie and the eleven year old boy proves to be a major talent. He travels the country by train and in a time shift travels to a hospital to perform a song for the real Woody Guthrie. Christian Bale is in a documentary style portion as fans praise the great artist as the voice of a generation as he treats and reporters with contempt. Bobby does not come off to well as a human being.Later on, Bale reappears as a born again pastor, which showcases Dylan's brief Christian period , preaching to a congregation and singing the gospel tune "Pressing On" from the album "Saved."Heath Ledger is in a film within the film as an actor playing the Christian Bale character in the least interesting part of I'm Not There. The second unnecessary segment is Richard Gere as Billy the Kid looking for his dog and meeting Pat Garrett and a convoluted storyline with a funeral, a jail break and back to the train once again. I found the whole experience a disjointed mess with some fine acting. I love Dylan's work, so this is a wasted effort.

I must admit that I approached this film with low expectations after having read several negative reviews before actually seeing the DVD. The comments, for the most part, were as follows : "the movie made no sense", "it looked like it was made by high school film students trying to be artsy", "it wasn't an accurate depiction of Dylan at all", and finally "it was too long and too disjointed". I disagree with all of those comments/assessments.I found the movie to be interesting, creative, and engaging. And I'm not really even a big Dylan fan. But that notwithstanding, he's an interesting, complex individual who has had an enormous impact on not only the music industry, but the world at large.And even taking Dylan totally out of the picture, I feel that the movie worked because of the way it accurately depicted the struggles of ANY creative personality when it comes to the conflicts and contrasts between the public and the private individual. I also feel that the movie accurately depicted the struggles any creative personality has trying to maintain his or her integrity once popularity -- and the attendant commercialism that goes with popularity -- kicks in. The aspect of how fans both support, and to a certain extent control an artist was also poignantly addressed.For me, the most moving elements of the film involved the relationship between Robbie and Claire. I also was very impressed with Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Jude. The character that I found to be the least sympathetic (and/or the most disjointed) was Billy. But it was such a minor part that it wasn't enough for me to trash the film the way the other heavy critics did. I also found the soundtrack to be the glue as well as the engine that propelled the movie right along.Maybe the most amazing thing about the whole film is the fact that Dylan SURVIVED, and is still a dynamic, vibrant force -- 45 years after his huge impact on the music scene and the world. Love him or hate him -- he has endured the test of time, and in true Sinatra fashion, he clearly did it his way.