Much Like Bob Dylan Himself, Timothée Chalamet's 'A Complete ...
courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
My dad is pretty obsessed with Bob Dylan (as is true for so many millennials and Gen Xers), so when word came out that there was going to be a Bob Dylan biopic—titled A Complete Unknown—I knew immediately that I wanted to see it. Then, when I heard that Timothée Chalamet would be playing Dylan, I knew I’d be first in line to see it. Dylan is such an enigmatic figure, I really didn’t know how director James Mangold and screenwriter Jay Cocks would manage to bring him to the big screen. Now, having seen A Complete Unknown, I can tell you that much like the music of Bob Dylan, this movie is not for everyone—but, boy howdy, did I enjoy it.
A Complete Unknown is based on the book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald and covers just the first few years of his career. It starts with Dylan’s arrival in New York City in 1961 and goes up to his controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
Hearing that Dylan’s decision to play with electric instruments was met with such passionate fury may seem a bit “those damn youths and their damn rock-n-roll!” or Footloose-esque to us damn youths, but the movie does a fabulous job of making you really understand the era and the seriousness with which people took the rise of folk music. Edward Norton’s Pete Seeger in particular is a needed grounding force for the story, and he truly shines in the role. In fact, if the new Oscar category for Achievement in Casting were implemented this year, I’d bet you anything that A Complete Unknown would get a nomination.
courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Elle Fanning is lovely and heartbreaking as Dylan’s girlfriend Sylvie Russo (a stand in for Suze Rotolo after Dylan requested the movie not use her real name). And despite Boyd Holbrook’s Johnny Cash having pretty minimal screen time, his presence has an immense impact on the course of the story. Monica Barbaro is as captivating as the real life Joan Baez—I truly could not take my eyes off her whenever she was on screen. And Chalamet defied my expectations to deliver a performance of Dylan that really showcases his, well, Dylan-ness in all its weird glory.
As Chalamet has said in numerous interviews, it wasn’t about doing an exact impression of Dylan, but rather an effort to capture his spirit or essence. And I feel Chalamet does a damn good job living up to such an task, as do Barbaro and Holbrook. As my dad noted after watching just the trailer, it’s abundantly clear that each performer really studied the specific eccentricities of how these musicians hold their guitars, move their hands and move their faces as they sing. And watching the film, you can tell they were performing live on set, an incredibly smart choice that, in my opinion, allows the audience to better connect to the music—which is really what folk music is all about.
courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
While the performances are magnificent and the music is a delight, there are some things about about A Complete Unknown that I think won’t appeal to everyone. For instance, I think some folks may be frustrated with the lack of insight into the inner workings of Dylan’s mind. But in truth the movie doesn’t set out to explain how he came up with his songs or where his talent comes from. Instead it’s more about Dylan being Dylan and the effect that has on the people closest to him.
In a interview with the New York Daily News in the spring of 1967, Dylan was quoted saying, “A man is a success if he gets up in the mornin’ and gets to bed at night and in between he does what he wants to. What I want to do is make music.” And I think that pretty much sums up the thesis of the film, with perhaps the added observation that doing what you want might fly in the face of what those around you want, for better or for worse.
courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
If all you hope to take away from A Complete Unknown is a fresh interest in folk music and a desire to look up and listen to the music of Dylan, Baez, Cash, Seeger and more folk artists such as Woody Guthrie, then you’ll likely have a great time bopping along to the hits throughout the film. But if you’re hoping to get some kind of deep understanding or analysis of Bob Dylan, then I suggest reading one of the 40-plus books about him instead.
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