Masked and Anonymous (2003)

Director:

Larry Charles

Writers:

Bob Dylan (written by) &
Larry Charles (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 2003 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Would you reach out your hand to save a drowning man if you thought he might pull you in?

Plot:

A singer (Dylan), whose career has gone on a downward spiral, is forced to make a comeback to the performance stage for a benefit concert.

Plot Keywords:

Concert | Benefit | Journalist | Assault | Bandit

Cast

Bob Dylan	...	Jack Fate
Jeff Bridges	...	Tom Friend
Penélope Cruz	...	Pagan Lace
John Goodman	...	Uncle Sweetheart
Jessica Lange	...	Nina Veronica
Luke Wilson	...	Bobby Cupid
Angela Bassett	...	Mistress
Steven Bauer	...	Edgar
Michael Paul Chan	...	Guard
Bruce Dern	...	Editor
Ed Harris	...	Oscar Vogel
Val Kilmer	...	Animal Wrangler
Cheech Marin	...	Prospero
Chris Penn	...	Crew Guy #2
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Soldier

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language and brief violence.

Runtime:

112 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | USA:PG-13 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

The supporting cast for this film all took pay cuts in order to be in a movie with Bob Dylan.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nina Veronica meets the TV executives at the television studio, the liquor bottles in the center of the table change position and number in almost every shot where they are visible.

Quotes:

Soldier: I wish I could live in my dreams. Do you dream?
Jack Fate: Yeah, I dream. I dream that I'm walking through fire... Intense heat. I don't pay much attention to my dreams.

Movie Connections:

References The Big Lebowski (1998)

Soundtrack:

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Poetically creative

I had read so many bad reviews of this movie. I'd read it was impossible to follow; I'd read that the dialogue was banal; Roger Ebert gave it half a star, claiming it was too ambiguous. So, when I saw Masked & Anonymous, I was prepared for the worse.

Instead, as soon as the movie began, and that Spanish Version of My Back Pages started playing to bomb explosions and imagery of a future gone wrong, I realize: I'm going to like this movie.

First, the plot, far too incredible to really explain here (And it sort of depends on your point of view anyways) is very creative in that it conveys an incredible amount of symbolism. On one hand, this is a movie that mocks rock music (Think of the scene where Uncle Sweetheart tells Fate "You're gonna play rock and roll get rich launch your career and bring world peace all at the same time!") On the other hand, this could be Dylan's way of telling us who he really is. "Maybe I'm just a singer and nothing more" he tells us. He's tired of being made to be a counter cultural liberal protester. He's tired of people who think he only writes anti-war songs. Think of the scene where a woman brings her daughter to see Dylan. When Dylan learns that the little girl knows all his lyrics he asks "What'd she do that for?" And the mother quickly responds "Because I made her." This movie is about so many things: You just have to see it and every time you see it again you'll see more.

Concerning the dialogue. Many people say the dialogue is contrived, banal, or mindlessly poetic. To such people I reccomend they read Shakespeare (He's in the alley). Dylan has been hailed as a modern Shakespeare, so it is not wonder that this movie has the same beautiful poetry that his songs do.

But I will grant this: Bad actors would never be able to pull off this script. And this was probably the movie's strongest feature: Incredible acting. John Goodman deserves an Emmy for his portrayal of the scheming Uncle Sweetheart. Val Kilmer shocked me with his ability to portray the crazed Animal Wrangler. Jessica Lange gave the best performance of her career. The list goes on... Mickey Rourke, Ed Harris, Christian Slater, all surprised me with brilliant acting.

If you have the chance to see this movie, just once, do so. And forgive its few shortcomings-- it was made on short notice, and its messages were meant to transcend all imperfections for movie rookie director Larry Charles. This movie will probably be forgotten one day, which is unfortunate, because rarely is a movie this original.