Cate Blanchett Is Terrific: Flush the Rest

Rating: 2/10 (13 June 2008)

Cate Blanchett gets to imitate Bob Dylan during his most disagreeable period (see the Martin Scorsese documentary)and she does it very well. Dylan's relationship with Joan Baez is shifted to another time period with a different Dylan. Blanchett is remarkable. She manages to look like Dylan at that time in his life, and she catches hold both of his mannerisms and his off-putting personality. It's more evidence that Blanchett is possibly the most interesting actress in her generation. As for the rest of this film, it ain't worth the considerable trouble it takes to figure it out. A lot of talent is wasted in improbable ways. Also, there's less music than one might expect in a film about one of the great song-writers of the last half-century. I've had the feeling for a long time that the conundrum of Bob Dylan isn't worth penetrating -- and this film does nothing to persuade me otherwise. Two is a generous rating. It's a compromise between a 10 for Cate Blanchett and a zero for everything else.