Bob Dylan is a fascinating figure. A singer-songwriter who defies easy categorization, he refused to stay inside the box he had seemingly created for himself, infuriating those who preferred him exactly the way he was. The biopic A Complete Unknown covers the beginning of Dylan’s career, from when he arrived in New York until he began to leave traditional folk music behind.
The approach here is interesting because the screenplay doesn’t really try to unpack the real Robert Zimmerman, where his inspirations came from or what drove his unpredictable behavior. It is about Dylan the genius songwriter, famous musician and rebel, with some glimpses into his personal life. It is an enjoyable movie with a fantastic starring performance from Timothée Chalamet and good pacing. It doesn’t analyze Dylan or follow the tired formula of the normal music biopic.
There is no standard rise and fall structure here. It is the story of a man who wanted to make music on his own terms and how that began his journey to becoming perhaps the most well-respected performer of his generation. It is more concerned with the effect Bob Dylan had on the industry and culture in general than it is with his upbringing (vaguely referenced) or his love life (which gets some screentime, but not much focus).
Director James Mangold and his cowriter, Jay Cocks, don’t turn him into a symbol, either. He’s his own man, just as he was. It is a tricky balancing act that mostly succeeds. Though this will probably be even better appreciated by students of Bob Dylan or music history, it works reasonably well on its own merits.
As mentioned above, Timothée Chalamet is excellent as the legendary Dylan. He kind of looks like him, and certainly sounds like him; however, this goes beyond imitation. He embodies the spirit of the man he is portraying in a way that almost makes you forget you are watching a performance. He simply is this character with his quirks and frustrations. He is good in the dialogue scenes, even if A Complete Unknown (134 minutes, without the end credits) doesn’t bother much with Bob Dylan the person. Where Chalamet, and the movie as a whole, really come alive are in the musical performances.
It doesn’t feel as if the story (based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald) pauses when Dylan sings or plays his guitar. On the contrary, that is when we see what the filmmakers truly care about. Mangold’s camera stops, concentrating on the moment. All that matters is the image of Chalamet as Dylan and the sound of his voice/instrument. Whether he is on stage in front of a large crowd or in private, the result is mesmerizing.
The movie begins with a scene where Dylan visits his hero, Woody Guthrie, in the hospital. Guthrie’s other visitor, Pete Seeger, encourages this stranger to sing them a song. Dylan does and the look on Seeger’s and Guthrie’s faces, while Dylan loses himself in the music, lets the audience know something special is happening. Yet Mangold doesn’t belabor that point. He allows his viewers to feel it for themselves. That magic is there every time he performs.
Despite Chalamet’s talents, as well as great work from Edward Norton as Seeger, his thoughtful mentor, the straight narrative isn’t super compelling. There isn’t enough time spent on Dylan’s friendships or his romantic relationships with Sylvie Russo or Joan Baez for them to have much of an impact. But then there’s the music. Mangold’s goal with A Complete Unknown seems to have been to show how Bob Dylan became an icon by rejecting what everyone else wanted him to be and just playing. It definitely hits the mark.
3½ out of 5
Cast:
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan
Edward Norton as Pete Seeger
Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo
Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez
Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie
Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman
Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash
Directed by James Mangold
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
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