by Josh Sewell
I’ve never been a hardcore Bob Dylan junkie, so I wasn’t exactly shivering with anticipation to see the recent biopic A Complete Unknown. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t born in a cave. As an ’80s kid who had a fascination with American nostalgia from an early age, I know a ton of Dylan’s songs. I just haven’t studied them as religious texts or pored over the countless biographies written about him like some of my friends and colleagues.
However, I am a big fan of filmmaker James Mangold. As such, I was curious to see how the guy who essentially perfected the musical biopic formula with Walk the Line managed such an enigmatic, often unlikable protagonist. That’s particularly true considering his Johnny Cash flick gave Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan enough comedic ammunition to kill the genre for a decade with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Turns out, Mangold (who rewrote an earlier screenplay by Jay Cocks, based on Elijah Wald’s acclaimed book Dylan Goes Electric!) delivers a compelling, efficient drama by focusing on a specific era in Dylan’s career instead of attempting the usual “childhood through AARP membership” road map. In the middle of the 1960s New York folk scene, an inscrutable Minnesota teenager (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in Greenwich Village and sets out on a path that will transform American music forever.
Throughout his journey, the brilliant musician forges relationships with legendary artists like Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). However, he puts some of those bonds to the test when he contemplates incorporating electric guitar into his music.
I’m sure a ton of critics and Dylan fans were ready to change the film’s name to A Complete Disaster before ever walking into a theater. And it’s true that reviews have been mixed. However, considering the project’s degree of difficulty, Mangold could’ve done a whole lot worse.
That doesn’t mean I’m grading the filmmaker on a curve. My perspective simply comes from someone who didn’t bring a significant amount of scholarly fanboy baggage into the screening with me. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Mangold has an incredible cast to help him pull off the seemingly impossible task of telling Dylan’s story in a more traditional way than Todd Haynes’ 2007 masterpiece I’m Not There.
I’ll admit I was skeptical when I heard Chalamet was portraying Dylan, but the actor calmed my fears within the first 10 minutes or so. Once he actually sang and played guitar – without lip syncing or fancy editing tricks – in an early scene with Norton and McNairy, I was sold. While approximating Dylan’s voice and mannerisms, Chalamet avoids the disastrous choice to flat-out impersonate him.
Oscar nominations will be announced later this month, but it’s a foregone conclusion that his name will appear in the Best Actor category. It’s a competitive year, but unless something crazy happens, I think we’ll hear his name when the envelope is opened.
When it comes to supporting performances, Norton is fantastic as Seeger. In a more hackneyed film, the character could’ve come across as impossibly out-of-touch or even a villain. However, the legendary actor gives him the perfect amount of pathos and ensures his musical convictions are understandable instead of seeming like an old man’s purity test.
Barbaro is mesmerizing as Baez, conveying why the actual performer/activist is such an icon. Like Chalamet, she really plays and sings – despite only recently learning both for the film, which is a little infuriating considering she’s so good. Her work here, on top of her contributions to 2022’s phenomenal Top Gun: Maverick, should go a long way in making her a household name.
However, the biggest scene stealer is Holbrook, who had some of the biggest shoes to fill as the Man in Black. Not only does he have to play a music legend, but he also stands in the shadow of an all-time performance from Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line. Even more intimidating, he’s doing it in a movie by the same director.
Luckily for Holbrook, it’s a much different take on Cash – brief, plus far more comedic and badass. Honestly, it’s perfect for the guy who made big impressions in other Mangold flicks like Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Not to mention his chilling work in last year’s television series Justified: City Primeval.
Sadly, not every talented performer gets a chance to shine. The terrific Elle Fanning is wasted in a standard “buzzkill girlfriend” role, playing a barely fictionalized version of Dylan’s real-life muse Suze Rotolo. Despite her best efforts, Fanning feels shoved off to the side as one of the only non-musician characters. It’s tough to have your time in the spotlight when so much of the film takes place on various stages.
Still, despite its narrative drawbacks, A Complete Unknown is worth seeing on the big screen because of the strong performances and incredible music. If nothing else, Mangold’s film got me to spend more time listening to Dylan’s vast catalogue. That might be the best recommendation of all.
A Complete Unknown is rated R for language. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: B
However, I am a big fan of filmmaker James Mangold. As such, I was curious to see how the guy who essentially perfected the musical biopic formula with Walk the Line managed such an enigmatic, often unlikable protagonist. That’s particularly true considering his Johnny Cash flick gave Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan enough comedic ammunition to kill the genre for a decade with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Turns out, Mangold (who rewrote an earlier screenplay by Jay Cocks, based on Elijah Wald’s acclaimed book Dylan Goes Electric!) delivers a compelling, efficient drama by focusing on a specific era in Dylan’s career instead of attempting the usual “childhood through AARP membership” road map. In the middle of the 1960s New York folk scene, an inscrutable Minnesota teenager (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in Greenwich Village and sets out on a path that will transform American music forever.
Throughout his journey, the brilliant musician forges relationships with legendary artists like Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). However, he puts some of those bonds to the test when he contemplates incorporating electric guitar into his music.
I’m sure a ton of critics and Dylan fans were ready to change the film’s name to A Complete Disaster before ever walking into a theater. And it’s true that reviews have been mixed. However, considering the project’s degree of difficulty, Mangold could’ve done a whole lot worse.
That doesn’t mean I’m grading the filmmaker on a curve. My perspective simply comes from someone who didn’t bring a significant amount of scholarly fanboy baggage into the screening with me. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Mangold has an incredible cast to help him pull off the seemingly impossible task of telling Dylan’s story in a more traditional way than Todd Haynes’ 2007 masterpiece I’m Not There.
I’ll admit I was skeptical when I heard Chalamet was portraying Dylan, but the actor calmed my fears within the first 10 minutes or so. Once he actually sang and played guitar – without lip syncing or fancy editing tricks – in an early scene with Norton and McNairy, I was sold. While approximating Dylan’s voice and mannerisms, Chalamet avoids the disastrous choice to flat-out impersonate him.
Oscar nominations will be announced later this month, but it’s a foregone conclusion that his name will appear in the Best Actor category. It’s a competitive year, but unless something crazy happens, I think we’ll hear his name when the envelope is opened.
When it comes to supporting performances, Norton is fantastic as Seeger. In a more hackneyed film, the character could’ve come across as impossibly out-of-touch or even a villain. However, the legendary actor gives him the perfect amount of pathos and ensures his musical convictions are understandable instead of seeming like an old man’s purity test.
Barbaro is mesmerizing as Baez, conveying why the actual performer/activist is such an icon. Like Chalamet, she really plays and sings – despite only recently learning both for the film, which is a little infuriating considering she’s so good. Her work here, on top of her contributions to 2022’s phenomenal Top Gun: Maverick, should go a long way in making her a household name.
However, the biggest scene stealer is Holbrook, who had some of the biggest shoes to fill as the Man in Black. Not only does he have to play a music legend, but he also stands in the shadow of an all-time performance from Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line. Even more intimidating, he’s doing it in a movie by the same director.
Luckily for Holbrook, it’s a much different take on Cash – brief, plus far more comedic and badass. Honestly, it’s perfect for the guy who made big impressions in other Mangold flicks like Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Not to mention his chilling work in last year’s television series Justified: City Primeval.
Sadly, not every talented performer gets a chance to shine. The terrific Elle Fanning is wasted in a standard “buzzkill girlfriend” role, playing a barely fictionalized version of Dylan’s real-life muse Suze Rotolo. Despite her best efforts, Fanning feels shoved off to the side as one of the only non-musician characters. It’s tough to have your time in the spotlight when so much of the film takes place on various stages.
Still, despite its narrative drawbacks, A Complete Unknown is worth seeing on the big screen because of the strong performances and incredible music. If nothing else, Mangold’s film got me to spend more time listening to Dylan’s vast catalogue. That might be the best recommendation of all.
A Complete Unknown is rated R for language. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: B
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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