Very artistic movie. Go there if you like Dylan's music and don't expect it to be the story of his life. Because it's not. This is the movie for artists about the artist. Don't expect suspence, don't expect bright protagonist-antagonist conflict. Don't expect any developments of the characters. Don't think when you watch the movie. Don't look for any connections between the pieces. It's not a puzzle. Brilliant acting, except Gere's performance (let's face it, he can't act). Brilliant editing work. Brilliant music (duh, it's Dylan!). As for directing... it's a very good art piece. But this is the kind of art that doesn't raise any questions. This movie is about nothing, just beautiful images based on the art of the extra-ordinary man. Will you enjoy it? If you like art you will. Will it change your life? I doubt it.

"I'm Not There" is a series of intersecting stories, based on characters that represuent different periods of Bob Dylan's life and evolution as an artist. The characters range from a young black boy emulating Woody Guthrie to a rock star turned born again heroe as well as nod to Dylan's UK tour in 1966, his involvement with "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid", Village folksinger days and dissolution of his marriage in mid 1970's. Cate Blanchett gives an extraordinary performance as Dylan of the 1960s - all altittude, amphetamine and electric guitar. In addition, the black and white photography is a nice tribute to the D.A. Pennebacker film made of Dylan's 1966 tour. The rest of the stories are less interesting and powerful, with the Billy The Kid segment being the most disjointed and unecessary. While I enjoyed most of the film, it would be very hard to follow or appreciate without a pre-existing and fairly good understanding of both Dylan's life and music. I

I hated this movie. I felt like I was watching some director's indulgence. It might have been deep, but I didn't care. Sometimes you want to enjoy a movie without doing a lot of work. This movie was exhausting. My favorite part was when I fell asleep.

The morning after I saw "I'm Not There," something marvelous happened. I awoke with the memory of it tugging at me like an insistent child. A delayed reaction to be sure, but it had managed to get under my skin. I realized that I didn't love the film in its entirety, but for the sum of its parts. In fact, there are moments that are transcendent, such as every sublime frame Cate Blanchett appears in; and those terrific scenes featuring the young Marcus Carl Franklin (particularly the one in which he performs with Richie Havens). However, I was distracted by Richard Gere?s appearance (as ?Billy the Kid?), which to me seemed incongruous (though hardcore Dylan fans may disagree). And the movie is about 15 minutes too long. But despite its flaws, it's one of the most refreshingly audacious films I?ve seen in a long time. And it?s a miracle that it got made at all. So thank God for intrepid visionaries such as Todd Haynes. Because without them, the cinema would be a boring place indeed.

My bottom-line is, if you are a Dylan fan or an admirer of innovative filmmaking, e.g. a Fellini or Antonionni afficionada, go see this. If you are not into Dylan or put off by his elusiveness or if you prefer linear storylines, consider skipping it. The film does a nice job weaving in images of "medicine show" Americana that inspire Dylan's music: carnivals, circus freaks, freight trains and hobos. These absurdist elements parallel the jumbled collage structure of the movie itself. Cate Blanchett's physical performance as the "Albert Hall" rock star Dylan is not to be missed. The film has the good taste not to judge or decipher Dylan's puzzles; rather it probes the mysteries of self-invention in America and other themes. My major issue is that the movie borders at times on "Dylan-nerdy" with too many inside jokes and references. It also replicates too literally situations from Dont Look Back, Eat the Document, his Chronicles, and other sources already familiar to many.