In the early 1960s, 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. Forming his most intimate relationships during his rise to fame, he grows restless with the folk movement, making a controversial choice that reverberates worldwide.
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Scoot McNairy
Release Date: December 25, 2024
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Rated R for language.
Runtime: 2h 20m
Review:
A Complete Unknown serves as a time capsule that focuses on four formative years of Bob Dylan's career in the 60s that places you firmly in the moment although it never gives you any insight into his headspace. James Mangold's second foray into musical biopics finds the director in his wheelhouse as he recreates the look and feel of the early 60's folk music scene that Dylan walks into. He directs the performances with ease allowing the performers and music to take center stage while avoiding some of the more obvious pitfalls and tropes that Walk The Line fell into. There aren't nearly as many contrived moments were moments immediately lead into the creation of signature songs although there is still of relationship melodrama which just seems baked into these kind of stories. As a result, the film has a more naturalistic and organic feel to it as we follow Dylan's rise from obscurity to mega stardom. Interlaced into his personal journey are newsclips woven into the background about the major political and cultural events occurring during these nascent years of his career. We assume these moments lead to the creation of some of Dylan's most famous songs but the film never overtly connects the two. This is partly due to the fact that we are kept at arms length from Dylan's internal motivations as the audience is given very few glimpses into his psyche outside of being a mysterious, ambitious iconoclast. There's painfully little insight provided throughout the film's runtime perhaps by design as we get little more than he's a genius but self centered jerk. The supporting characters don't fare much better as we're given only the most basic information about everyone we meet. Its a testament to the cast that they're performances are as engaging and effective as they are given the script's shortcomings. Timothée Chalamet leads the film by dissolving into Bob Dylan's mannerism and vocal inflections to deliver a truly impressive bit of cinematic mimicry. Where his performance truly shines is during the musical portions of the film as Chalamet sings and plays Dylan's songs rarely missing a bit along the way. Its an impressive fully formed performance that goes the extra step above the usual imitation game although you wish the script had given him a bit more meat to work with. Edward Norton's Pete Seeger proves to be more fleshed out as the folk stalwart that is desperately hoping to fight back the electrical musical revolution. It's a measured and thoughtful turn that humanizes the character by giving him varying levels of depth. Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro deliver strong performances as parts of the central love triangle although neither is given much depth on their own and an on stage moment between Dylan and Baez that feels lifted from Mangold's own Walk The Line comes off as overkill. Boyd Holbrook is solid in spots as Johnny Cash while we are left wishing Scoot McNairy had been given a bit more to do as Woody Guthrie. A Complete Unknown lives up to its name as it gives the audience just enough about the people we are watching while never letting us truly understand them in any meaningful way.
B+
