Underrated & Amazing - one of the best of the decade

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2009)

An absolutely fantastic film in it's own right, it's also the most fitting way to do a biopic of Bob Dylan - the man who is (and was) so many men - and Todd Haynes nailed it perfectly.
While Richard Gere has been slammed for this movie, he was my favorite part. He's not the random footnote thrown in to round out the movie. He is 100% deliberate and fantastic. He is the recluse, the old hat, the man that has seen that, been there, and done it all. That is Dylan today. Maybe it makes sense that the newer Dylan records have been criticized for their difference from his old stuff, and the movie captures it. Gere, while not cross-dressing like Cate Blanchett, is great in every respect and deserves recognition.
My second favorite character is Arthur, played amazingly by Ben Whishaw. The mannerisms are similar to Dylan, and he played a sort of Dylan-on-trial Dylan, and he nails the sarcasm. He delivers some classic lines, and his character acts as the Dylan that doesn't believe he has to explain himself.
Heath was fantastic, as usual. He and Charlotte Gainsbourg had fantastic chemistry together and share some of the most raw scenes. He is Cassanova Bob - the ladies man if there ever was one. Forget "The Dark Knight," this movie is a true tribute.
Cate Blanchett comes in a little behind Heath for me. While she does deliver a great performance as nihilist/existential Dylan, her sequences dragged out too long for me to really enjoy them. Part of the reason the movie press revolved around her was because the movie was mostly her. The size of her part is far larger than that of, say, Gere's or Franklin's. I do, however, think that she was cheated at the Oscars. Swinton was not good enough that year to beat out Blanchett.
Marcus Carl Franklin, while great as an 11 year-old calling himself Woodie Guthrie, attempting to find himself through lies, wears after a little while. His first few scenes are charming and cute, and then his story gets a little tiring. It picks up at the very end when he and Billy the Kid (Gere) meet, completing the circle of Dylan identities. The kid has a great voice though; he's one of the only cast members to have a recording on the soundtrack.
Christian Bale's character did little/nothing for me. While the significance of his character is important to the overall plot, the Jack Rollins "born-again" sequence also drags on a little too long to be effective.
All the supporting actors are great. Bruce Greenwood is good in two roles as the infamous "Mr. Jones" and the iconic "Pat Garrett." Like I said earlier, Gainsbourg is fantastic on her own and with Ledger. Michelle Williams is good where she needs to be.
Overall, this film will leave you a little punch-drunk while you try to figure out how Bob Dylan could possibly be all of those people. And then you realize that he is. He is the poet, prophet, outlaw, fake, icon, and the star of electricity. And this is the film that captures some of the man and puts it in terms that you may not fully understand the first time you watch it, but you just know it's good.