December 25, 2024 · Watch the official trailer
Musical biopics are a dime a dozen these days.
In 2024 alone there were theatrical tales depicting the lives of Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, and even eccentric British rocker Robbie Williams if he were a CGI-created chimpanzee.
Yet the most avant-garde, nuanced, and unique take on a musical icon was brought to the big screen over Christmas by a director well-versed in – and in some regards responsible for – theatrical jukebox biographies that seem to land every three months at the box office.
Director James Mangold returns with a less formulaic twist on the musical biopic nearly 20 years after his Oscar-winning take on Johnny and June Carter Cash in “Walk The Line,” setting his sights on the generational singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with “A Complete Unknown,” a loosely woven examination of Dylan’s early musical roots through the controversial decision to “go electric” and abandon acoustic folk tunes.
Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet melts completely into the unthinkable task of emoting as America’s greatest lyric poet, not just performing well over two dozen Dylan tunes live but capturing just enough raw essence of a fleeting enigma that it feels real to the untrained eye.
Mimicking Dylan outright would become nothing short of complete disaster, but Chalamet isn’t seeking to become a copycat, softening the edges of his performance to feel more ethereal and reminiscent of Oscar Isaac’s titular turn in the similar Coen Brothers drama “Inside Lleywn Davis.”
Chalamet is like a chameleon in the role. Even though it’s clearly still an actor playing a part, the effort and ease in which he’s becoming Dylan is astonishing. He has the essence of a man he’s never known but feels intimately at ease with. A lesser actor would try to caricature Dylan tonally to an almost Barney the dinosaur level, but Chalamet’s restraint – and obvious reverence for the subject – keeps the film steady and enjoyable as an art project rather than cohesive narrative drama.
There are numerous compelling supporting performances throughout the film with Edward Norton’s awkwardly folksy take on Pete Seeger being the most prominent and much ado will be made about the non-verbal work done by Elle Fanning as one of Dylan’s love interests. However, Monica Barbero does create enchanting and slightly combative chemistry with Chalamet as Joan Baez while Scoot McNairy’s almost completely silent performance as a hospitalized Woody Guthrie provides the film’s most authentically emotional moments.
From a wholistic perspective, two things stand out about “A Complete Unknown;” Bob Dylan’s music was artistry and poetry on a totally different level and the man who embodied his essence created his own unique imagery that will live on in a wonderful career.
The narrative does neither the justice they deserve as Mangold awkwardly weaves his way through Dylan’s professional and personal life with a brush that paints far too wide a portrait.
A narrower focus that homed in on either Dylan’s personal or professional relationships would allow viewers the ability to connect more deeply with the film, though it could also be argued that doing so takes away the clearly ethereal, artistic vision intended by the filmmakers.
Mangold gives most of the characters in “A Complete Unknown” the same strange sense of voyeurism that he himself showcases as a director peering into the world of Dylan without ever being able to truly grasp or pin him into a corner.
Dylan’s almost insidious need to rebel against preconceptions keeps everyone, including the audience and filmmakers, at a distance to the point where the overwhelming sense of longing for understanding and need to connect with Dylan lingers into the overall style of the film where much of the runtime is focused on watching other characters watch Dylan in awe with pangs of jealousy as well.
It's only Boyd Holbrook with a reckless and cavalier portrayal of fellow musical rebel Johnny Cash that seems almost immune to this notion and the metaphorical tipping of the cap between the two happens just enough to slightly break the monotony of the mystique created in the film.
The sharpness and almost disjointed nature of the editing in “A Complete Unknown” makes it feel like there were numerous sequences left on the cutting room floor as Mangold became mesmerized by the effectiveness of Chalamet’s musical camouflage, opting for additional tunes at the expense of a traditional narrative.
Perhaps there is some self-reflection for the director after the spoof comedy “Walk Hard” plowed through the structural formula popularized by Mangold’s “Walk The Line,” but the distance created in the film make it hard for viewers to enjoy non-musical moments.
There’s some possibility that “A Complete Unknown” could make the final 10 films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, but it’s more likely that a front-running Chalamet for Best Actor could be the lone nomination and win for the film as his work far exceeds the movie as a whole and the complete artistry of Chalamet’s musical transformation bears celebrating.
Cinephiles less familiar with Dylan’s music and history might find themselves a bit out of sorts here, but the leading turn is worth far more than the price of admission to catch “A Complete Unknown” on the big screen.
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