Masked and Anonymous (2003)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

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

Color:

Color

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:

Filmed in just twenty days. Utilizing digital video, Larry Charles was able to shoot up to eight pages of script a day.

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:

Jack Fate: I was always a singer and maybe no more then that. Sometimes it's not enough to know the meaning of things, sometimes we have to know what things don't mean as well. Like what does it mean to not know what the person you love is capable of? Things fall apart...

Movie Connections:

References The Fugitive Kind (1960)

Soundtrack:

Blind Willie McTell

Johnny's in the Basement

What could go wrong with a movie that features Bob Dylan playing some fun tunes, leading actors John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges and Penelope Cruz, and bit parts by Christian Slater, Ed Harris, Angela Basset, Mickey Rourke and Val Kilmer? Well, let's start with a script penned by Bob Dylan that is easily as ineffable as, say, Subterranean Homesick Blues. If you know why the man in the coonskin cap wants eleven dollar bills (and you only got ten) then maybe you understood this movie. The rest of us struggled with mundane dialogue, disjointed vignettes, thinly veiled allusions to Dylan's life, some sort of statement on revolution, and perhaps an admission by Dylan himself that even he doesn't have a clue as to what most of his songs mean. Maybe if I saw this film another 2-3 times I would unravel the deeper meaning, peel back the layers of symbolism, and better grasp the metaphors that give deeper significance to the movie. On the other hand, it's been 35 years and I still don't know why I should hang around an ink well or watch the parking meters.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this movie. But the fact is, I rarely laughed, certainly didn't cry, and I didn't really care about any of the characters. I could barely follow the plot line. And I didn't understand most of what was lurking under the surface. None of the actors appeared to have clue as to what was going on either. But then, maybe that's what Dylan meant all along . Maybe, but you shouldn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.