I'm Not There

I'm Not There a.k.a Cate Blanchett plays a drunk/drugged Bob Dylan with other famous actors delivering the odd line and a black boy. This movie reminds me of every reason I want to be a huge celebrity and how much it sucks to have to not be the main event. This movie would have been much better had it been truncated about thirty minutes. I didn't understand the chronology of the film nor did I understand the intended effect on the audience. I do however understand that, if I was 45 or 50, had idolized Bob Dylan as a developing artist, and was slightly pretentious, I would have eaten this film up like some people do Mama Mia. Looking at photos from the film and listening to Bob Dylan as I write this, I get more excited about the possibility of the film than I ever did during the film. None of this is to say that I didn't like the film, there were parts which I did enjoy and I heard several new Bob Dylan songs and renditions that I will listen to for several years to come. Overall, a descent film; better if you are a big Dylan fan or see with a big Dylan fan.
Hits:
The Actors- Each of the actors, except possibly Marcus Franklin, did an amazing job. I'm going to mention my two favorites in greater detail, but they each did a great job.
Cate Blanchett- Although her part of the film had very little arc, Cate Blanchett created an interesting character. Once I got past the fact that it was her, I was able to forget is was cross gender casting, but more than that, or aside from that, she was intreging to watch made great choices.
Christian Bale- A small part with, again, no arc, but Christian Bale was able to create a very interesting character as well. His character choices hindered him, at times, caused him to be locked away from the audience with a difficulty opening up.
Wardrobe- Within the movie there is a scene that takes places in a town where all the citizens are dressed for Halloween. The costumes used in this segment were amazing, especially on child dressed as a tumble weed.
Editing- There were a handful of times throughout the film in which a sound was begun at the end of one scene and then would transform into something else in the next scene or objects would blur to reveal another object. It's a kind of editing that takes more creativity and I enjoy.
Jesus Scene-Despite the entire rest of the film, there is one amazing scene in which Dylan and Allen Ginsberg yell at a statue of Jesus on a Cross. It's short, but says more than is in the text. I wish all scene could be as versatile and yet brief as this scene.
Misses:
Story- What exactly did I watch. Although well acted, I'm not sure what the meaning or plot was. It's an artsy film, where I can create reasons for what happened, but I have no idea what it was supposed to be.
Forced Music-There were several points in this film in which I felt the writer forcing a scene into the script or adding lines into a scene in order to make a certain Dylan song relevant to be played in the scene.
Gender- Cate Blanchett is referred to as both a man and a woman. Make a choice.
Like I mentioned earlier, if I was a bigger Dylan fan or if I went with a big Dylan fan I would have understood and appreciated this film more. I also wish the film hadn't been hyped up to me before I saw it. It's a nice artsy indy film, end of story.