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In this musical collage directed and co-written by Todd Haynes (“Far From Heaven”), Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin portray diverse characters—who are all meant to be different incarnations of Bob Dylan at various points in the veteran singer’s life—as they struggle with love, music and fame.

Big question: Is this an insightful portrait of a legendary artist, or just the rambling execution of a gimmicky idea?

Catch it: Saluting Dylan and what he stands for without bowing down to him, "I'm Not There" features great performances by Blanchett and Bale and an unusual look at a man who’s always a step ahead of the times and his loves. His words sound different depending on who's listening, and "I'm Not There" is about the storytelling singer's many levels and the fans that make the songs their own.

Skip it: If you're a big Rolling Stones fan. Jude (Blanchett) introduces former Stone Brian Jones as being "from that groovy covers band." Ouch.

Bottom line: While much better than "Across the Universe," "I'm Not There" is dangerously lacking in structure and specific details about Dylan that would make the film more of a commentary on a real icon. The superb music and acting is enough to make this experiment a success, though, but just because Haynes didn't blow up the lab doesn't mean he made a scientific breakthrough.

Bonus: Billy (Gere) offers this piece of insight: "The more you live a certain way the less it feels like freedom." That one sentence is more profound than anything in "Into the Wild"!

mpais@tribune.com

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