On Christmas Day, “A Complete Unknown” hit theatres to tell the beginning and rise to fame of Bob Dylan, one of the most influential artists in the twentieth century. The film was directed by James Mangold, and it draws a lot of similarities from his other productions, such as “Logan” (2017), “Ford v Ferrari” (2019) and “Walk the Line” (2005). The biopic stars Timothée Chalamet, Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton and Elle Fanning, who all give lively performances to give this story character.
In the wake of too-many-sequels-2024, a year in which nine of the ten highest-grossing movies in the U.S. were sequels, “A Complete Unknown” was a nice refresher at the box office, being a story that hasn’t been told on the big screen yet. The only problem keeping it from greatness is by the time the credits roll, it feels like this type of biopic has already been told.
For the past couple of years, Hollywood has pumped out biopics about the rise to stardom of key artists through the same format. The artist begins their musical journey by traveling to a city with nothing but an instrument and hope; to then catch a break by being in the right place at the right time. Once they begin to get publicity or sign a huge record deal, they become famous. This creates conflicts with their mentor and a possible love interest and prompting the artist to make decisions with their career. Every biopic roughly follows this cookie-cutter format, and “A Complete Unknown” isn’t any different.
Mangold does a solid job of balancing screen time between Dylan in his personal life and in pursuit of his career, showing audiences who Dylan was not only on the stage but also off it. The film moves at a fluid storytelling pace with memorable musical scenes throughout, immersing us in the folk music culture of the 1960s. Mangold captures the vibrant music scene of New York during the peak of the folk genre while weaving in the upheaval and conflict of the 1960s, giving audiences context of the political and social climate of the U.S.
What sets this biopic apart from most is Chalamet’s performance in his heavy role of becoming a folk legend. From his vocals to playing the guitar and harmonica, he portrays Dylan incredibly — even down to his mannerisms and the way he talks. Chalamet devoted a lot of time to becoming Dylan with his looks, his sound and his iconic nasal rasp. He even started playing the guitar and taking lessons in November 2019 to prepare for the role, practicing on the sets of movies he worked on for the following four years.
Chalamet captures Dylan through his look and style and who Dylan embodied at the time. Throughout the film, Dylan as a character is never fully unpacked and understood and is always somewhat removed. No one at the time, and no one still, understands the legendary folk artist and Chalamet portrays it in a way that he is “a complete unknown,” giving the film its title.
“A Complete Unknown” as a title can also be perceived as what Dylan becomes when he transitions from folk artist to rock artist. At the time, rock was starting to grow as a genre, and switching his type of music from the genre that made him to an upcoming genre was a complete unknown, not only for him but for society as a whole.
“A Complete Unknown” is a fun biopic telling the story of the legend Bob Dylan. It is brought to life with a strong lead and supporting cast. The film has great musical parts showcasing the impact of his music, but once again follows the cookie-cutter storyline that most artist films follow. For Bob Dylan fans, this is nothing but an enjoyable experience, but for those who might not be the biggest fan, be ready to enter a complete unknown.
