Interesting Biopic, Flawed Execution

Rating: 6/10 (7 November 2007)

I came in to this screening looking to really like this movie, but I ended up just as confused about Bob Dylan than I had been in the past.
Granted, I'm not a familiar fan of Dylan's work, but I understood going into this film that it was going to be about multiple depictions of Bob Dylan's life through different interpretations by the actors. But, not all of them worked. In particular, Richard Gere's story didn't really make a great deal of sense. I understood it, but it didn't tie into the other personalities very well because it just seemed so surreal, so much of that character in his own world that only a Dylan fan would understand all of its significance.
Cate Blanchett was awesome, and obviously depicted the Dylan I've come to learn about a little bit before going into this film. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger were also very good, and added to the story very well. However, with the fragmentation, with the different personalities, I had trouble understanding Dylan as a person. You, the fans, probably know all about his history, his mythology, his lyrics, and understand how this all ties together with him in the movie. However, the key to really enjoying and loving every minute of this film is that you have to be familiar with Dylan and his work to enjoy the film.
Obviously this isn't Walk the Line, or some other linear biopic/biography, but shouldn't I want to learn more about Dylan after watching this? Shouldn't I be more interested in the man to care about his work and what he was trying to say? Maybe that is the point of this film, to show that enigma. However, in order for me to like this film more, I have to do research on Bob Dylan and re-watch it a second time.
In conclusion, the cinematography and the music really drove this film among the separate personalities of the actors. I just thought that I should've taken something from this film. Some idea. Some revelation about Bob Dylan. But I ended up with more questions than satisfaction.