I'm Not There is an interesting film from The Carpenters-Barbie dolls
"Superstar"/quasi-sacked "Disappearer" director, but honestly it plays mostly like someone with considerable artistic ability who watched
No Direction Home a bunch of times and came up with a "far out, dude" concept laden with referential and largely self-satisfied Dylanisms. Although, I do concede that it is a more engaging way to tell the story than the conventional biopic, especially considering the enigmatic persona(e) profiled. The low-budget aspect and filming in Montreal may have been instrumental in getting it made, but ultimately detracts from what it could have potentially been. The brief scene with The Beatles was laughably awful. So was the majority of Cross' screentime as Ginsberg. I suppose the blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Kim came off okay.
As critical as all that may come off, I'm not entirely down on it though. It should be seen. And it's a pity it didn't earn more box office. I'm unsure why it's a "Blockbuster Exclusive" rental; maybe it's a Weinstein thing.
Well, at least Blanchett was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. And it's great to see a filmmaker like Haynes make a personal picture in this day and age and aspire in this manner. There are moments of absolute poetic beauty and visual excitement. Moreover, the soundtrack is mostly excellent. I'll go 84/100 compared to
rottentomatoes' 78%.