'A Complete Unknown' Reviews: Are Critics In Tune With Bob Dylan ...

Timothée Chalamet in "A Complete Unknown."

A Complete Unknown—starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan—is new in theaters. How are critics responding to the biopic about the movie icon?

A Complete Unknown—a title inspired by the lyrics of Dylan’s classic hit Like a Rolling Stone—opens in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.

The logline for the film reads, “In 1961, unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City with his guitar. He forges relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking performance that reverberates worldwide.”

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Directed by James Mangold, the screenplay for A Complete Unknown is written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, and is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties.

A Complete Unknown also stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo—who is a representation of Dylan’s former girlfriend in real life, Suze Rotolo.

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Rotten Tomatoes critics to date have collectively given A Complete Unknown a 79% “fresh” rating based on 163 reviews.

The RT Critics Consensus for A Complete Unknown reads, “Charged by Timothée Chalamet's electric performance, this ballad of Bob Dylan might not get under the enigmatic artist's skin but will make you feel like you've spent time in his company.”

A Complete Unknown also scored a 95% “fresh” rating on RT’s Popcornmeter based on 250-plus reviews.

Leonard Maltin is among the top critics on Rotten Tomatoes who gives A Complete Unknown a “fresh” rating. On his official website, Maltin writes, “Will younger people relate to this picture or even care about its central figures? I can’t predict that, but I know when I’ve watched a beautifully-crafted period piece. This is my favorite film of the year.”

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times also gives A Complete Unknown a “fresh” review on RT, writing, “Timothée Chalamet gives an Oscar-worthy performance in one of the best films of 2024.”

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In his “fresh” review on RT, Los Angeles Times critic Joshua Rothkopf makes some pointed observations about Bob Dylan, writing, “Superfans aren’t necessarily going to love this. It’s a movie made with affection, but also with the wisdom that visionaries can sometimes be jerks.”

Candice Frederick is among the detractors of the film on RT, writing in her “rotten” review for the HuffPost, “A Complete Unknown never feels like much of a movie and certainly not a biopic. Rather, it comes across as subpar, reality-adjacent fan fiction.”

Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe also gives A Complete Unknown a “rotten” review, writing, “When it comes to fleshing out these characters, we get bupkis. Baez calls Dylan a word that starts with ‘a’ and ends in ‘hole,’ and that’s the only personality trait that informs Chalamet’s portrayal.”

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The New Yorker critic Richard Brody isn’t a fan of A Complete Unknown either, writing in his “rotten” review on RT, “This sort of performance is essentially stunt work and so is the nonmusical mimicry that comes with it. Yet, because the movie emphasizes the characters’ public faces even in private, it doesn’t demand true emotional depth and expressive range.”

A Complete Unknown is already an awards season contender earning Best Picture nominations from the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, as well as Best Actor nominations from both organizations for Timothée Chalamet.

Rated R, A Complete Unknown opens in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.

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