At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shook up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation, one of the most transformative moments in 20th-century music.
“A Complete Unknown” follows the rise of Bob Dylan and the conflict he faces when he decides to go electric instead of sticking with his traditional folk tunes. Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet), at 19 years old, travels from Minnesota to New York to meet one of his music heroes, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) is also visiting Guthrie, and they hear him sing together. Seeger immediately sees Dylan’s talent and helps him get his start in the music industry.
Timothée Chalamet continues to impress as an up-and-comer. I wouldn’t call him a movie star yet, but there is no doubt that he is highly talented. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he sings himself in the film. I don’t know why that surprised me, as he sang in “Wonka” last year, but I honestly forgot about that movie.
I’ve heard Dylan’s music before but was largely unaware of his story and background. And though this film goes through some of his career highlights, I still feel like I don’t know his story and background. His hit songs are being written and performed, but Dylan remains enigmatic throughout this film. The film also glosses over some things I found interesting about Dylan, like how he was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and how many of his songs were considered protest songs.
Two of Dylan’s love interests are featured in the film, Sylvie (Elle Fanning), and fellow folk singer, Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). There is an extra layer to Barbaro’s performance as she watches Dylan surpass her fame, but both women and their relationships with Dylan are underdeveloped. There’s not much personality given to either girl. They are mostly there to admire Dylan’s songwriting and talent but can’t be with him because he is arrogant and inconsiderate. Ultimately, there is no insight into why they are both even with Dylan other than he is Bob Dylan.
I found Edward Norton’s role refreshing. He is much more subdued here, not over the top. Seeger is relatively calm as a character, which may be why I did not find this film’s conflict very interesting. Seeger is an established member who has opinions on what folk should and should not be. So, when Dylan wants to change his style, he is a big protestor against that.
This is not director James Mangold’s first biopic about an iconic musician. This is not even his first film to feature Johnny Cash. “Walk the Line” has a similar structure that follows Cash’s rise to fame and his relationships. However, “A Complete Unknown” does not meet “Walk the Line’s” heights. This is mainly because Cash’s struggles, I feel, are more suited for film than Dylan’s. Here, Cash is played by Boyd Holbrook, and he was a highlight in his few scenes.
Ultimately, I think everyone in front of and behind the camera was solid. Timothée Chalamet, once again, proves his chops as a leading man. However, this biopic fails to dive deep into who Bob Dylan is. He remains a mystery to me, which may be what the film wants the audience to take away, though that is unclear. I also found Dylan’s relationships to be underdeveloped and the conflict of this film uninteresting.
In Theaters Wednesday, December 25th
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Good movie, great acting, over all great movie,