Believe the Blanchett hype on 'I'm Not There'

Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream" is clearly one of the worst films the auteur has made in years.

The dialog is atrocious. Scene after scene feels like a bad "Saturday Night Live" skit. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor must have been wondering what they were getting into after signing on to this one. 

Luckily for the fortunes of the Weinstein Co., they screened a much better movie immediately after: Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There."

In this accomplished and fascinating look at the life of Bob Dylan -- as played by six different actors, including Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger -- the best "Dylans," by far, are the two Aussies.

Under the pseudonym "Jude," Blanchett plays Dylan as he travels with his band to London in the early '60s. It is there that the singer gets flack from both fans and critics for changing his sound.

This portion of the film, which is intercut with the five other story-lines, is inspired by the Beatles' 1964 film "A Hard Day's Night." It is hands-down the most entertaining and compelling portion of the picture.

The film's outspoken distributor, Harvey Weinstein, had relentlessly pumped up Blanchett before the "I'm Not There" premiere at the Venice Film Festival. But this time, it wasn't just Harvey bluster -- she is phenomenal.

At times you completely forget it's the same actor who was parading around on screen a few days earlier as the Queen of England in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" or that a woman is so believably playing a male role (really).

And as for Oscar? Her chances are probably better in the best supporting actress race than best actress, but the potential for a nod and a win are there.

As for Ledger, he portrays a Dylan infatuated with the fame of making movies concurrent with the breakdown of his marriage. 

Ledger doesn't try to mimic Dylan like co-Dylan Christian Bale does, but he completely conveys the frustration between his personal and professional lives during the early '70s.

It's another nice turn in Ledger's growing body of excellent work.

-- Gregory Ellwood

Photo: (Top) Richard Gere, director Todd Haynes, and Heath Ledger pose at a photo session to present the movie "I'm Not There" at the Venice Film Festival in Venice on Sept. 4, 2007. (Bottom) Cate Blanchett arrives for the gala of 'Elizabeth The Golden Age' during the the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007.