Sure, Masked and Anonymous (or M&A, as I fondly like to call it) is convoluted and pretentious. Sure, it has ridiculously banal dialogue that makes Forrest Gump sound like an intellectual. Sure, there are preposterously-named characters (Jack Fate, Tom Friend, Uncle Sweetheart, et al) and let's face it, no one actually has a coherent conversation throughout the entire proceeding. But it's not predictable - that counts for something in my book, anyway, and it has Bob Dylan (looking more and more like Salvador Dali in every scene - all he needed was the mustache wax), and Jeff Bridges always rocks. Here's the bottom line for me, though: any film that has a bearded, bare-armed and derangedly disheveled Val Kilmer deliver the title phrase (while fondling a bunny rabbit) can't be all bad.
Masked and Anonymous
2003
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music / Western
Masked and Anonymous
2003
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music / Western
Plot summary
Amidst unrest, organizers put on a benefit concert.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
February 28, 2021 at 07:07 PM
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The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
Fate Takes a Hand
In so far he ever conveys emotion, the Birthday Boy seems to be enjoying himself, and as cinematic indulgences by rock greats go this could have been far, far worse.
Dylan's involvement has ensured a star-studded supporting cast (of whom a chain-smoking, short-skirted Jessica Lange is probably the most fun), and at least it passes quickly enough for you to think "Is that it?" when it abruptly ends.
Even at IMDb Dylan demands honesty
Let's face it, this is not a great film. It meanders, the plot is thin, the acting is mixed and it's written like, well, like a Dylan song. If there were a category for long-form music videos, I would give it an 8 or a 9. Although it should be said, that if one is a Dylan fan, and if one was to wonder how Dylan would reflect on his fame and the burden of being Dylan - well, watch this movie. But watching him sit next to his dying father and looking 20 years older than the father himself is contrived and harder to believe than the plot itself. Dylan is not half bad as Fate, although his acting does not exactly convey much depth. But the songs are wonderful, some of the scenes are humorous and entertaining. The only real fault is the otherwise excellent John Goodman. Goodman simply doesn't have any real character to hold onto and he's simply playing a drunk with dialog. I have grown up with Dylan's music and this is not his worst piece of work, but it certainly will remain a curiosity and not a classic.