‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ Doc is Perfect Representation of Bob Dylan

I'm a huge Bob Dylan fan. I own all his albums, his autobiography, several documentaries on his life and have seen him in concert roughly a dozen times. That's why I was super excited yesterday when Netflix released its new Martin Scorsese "documentary" Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story. I had to watch it immediately.

Being a Scorsese production, I know it would be good. What I didn't expect was that this "documentary" would be the perfect representation of Bob Dylan. Now, if you've noticed, I put the word documentary in quotations multiple times. Because this movie isn't a documentary per se...as the title suggests. It's called "A Bob Dylan Story" because, as the old saying goes, it's accurate but not factual.

What I mean by that is that Scorsese and Dylan created facts, characters and situations that never happened. Which, if you think about Bob Dylan, is perfect. For a man who has been in the public eye for roughly 60 years...the general public knows little to nothing about his personal life. He got married in secret, nobody really knows how many children he has....he's created a life that is more myth and legend than fact. We know he's talented, we know he's brilliant and we know he's eccentric...beyond that, we don't REALLY know anything.

Which, to me, is why this story is great. While you don't necessarily learn any new facts about the man, you do get an accurate representation of who he was in 1975 and who he is today. And, if you're in on the "joke" and can spot factual inaccuracies, I think it adds to Dylan's charm and gives more insight into who he actually is. Because, as its been stated by everyone from Mavis Staples to Joan Baez, Dylan is one of the most playful, mischievous, fun and charismatic humans on the planet.

And, if nothing else, this film really puts that side of Bob front and center. Plus, its Dylan, so you know the music is GREAT.