Less than the sum of its ingredients

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2008)

Todd Haynes is becoming the master of wasted opportunities. While this film is a pleasure when it comes to visuals, sounds and acting, and while the basic concept of interpretive biography is brilliant, this movie is as incoherent as Dylan's garbled speech. All these good ingredients are being put in a blender with A.D.D, and a phone-book worth of characters thrown it to boot. This plethora of small direction-less scenes will make sense to the very few, so this is ultimately a vanity project. (A note to those thinking THEY are to blame for not getting it -- you are not at fault here).
Dylan, the original, is one of the more fascinating figures of the 20th century. His ascent to be the "God" of folk music is unique, and his conversion to electric, seen by fans as betrayal, has proved to be a prophecy. Yet this film spends little time on his buildup, no time on his redemption, and his "betrayal" is portrayed without the context so it just falls flat. In fact, the most consistent massage of the artist here is refusal to be anything: "I am not X", "this does not mean anything". Hey Todd - any 5-year old knows how to say no to everything. Give us SOMETHING to chew on.
Just like Mr. Haynes' previous and similar misfire, Velvet Goldmine, this film is less than the sum of its ingredients. Artists that have excited millions of fans are reduced to paper-thin stylistic figures. One wonders if the director cannot understand their qualities beyond their aesthetics and has thus vowed to spoil it for anyone who might.