A COMPLETE UNKNOWN...Remains Unknown

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Digital)

2024 / 141 min

From Searchlight Pictures

Review by Princess Pepper😼

It’s hard to resist a good music bio. Oddly enough, some of my favorites have been about artists from genres that aren’t really my cup of tea. I’d rather shave with a cheese grater than listen to country music, but loved Coal Miner’s Daughter. Ditto Straight Outta Compton, which didn’t turn me into an NWA fan, but their story certainly gave me a newfound respect for what they accomplished.

Since I generally find folk music, Bob Dylan’s songs and his nasally twang about as enjoyable as a tax audit, I figured A Complete Unknown would be a slam-dunk. I may not be a fan, but hey, the guy’s a living legend. That’s got to be a fascinating story.

And at the very least, Timothee Chalamet uncannily speaks, sings, moves and looks like the classic ‘60s era Bob Dylan we’re all familiar with. He obviously did his homework, and for his efforts, earned an Oscar nomination. That, along with the music and admirable attention to period detail, makes A Complete Unknown worth checking out, especially for fans. However, looks aren’t everything. There’s an early scene where Dylan’s live-in girlfriend, Sylvie (Elle Fanning), complains that she has been open to him about her entire life, while he shares almost nothing of his own. One could easily say the same thing about the entire movie. 

Someone could use a breath mint.

The narrative chronicles Dylan’s career from his arrival at Greenwich village to his notorious appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where he infamously “went electric,” to the consternation of fans and festival organizers. But it’s mostly an checklist of career highlights, where everyone is in such awe of Dylan’s songs and talent that he goes from zero to folk music’s poster boy faster than Superman throws on his tights. For all I know, maybe that’s just how things transpired, but in the meantime, little is revealed about Dylan himself…his upbringing, his struggles & obstacles, his life experiences. He’s depicted as rebellious, but we never know what really makes him tick.

The brief, tumultuous relationship between Dylan and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) creates a few sparks and would have made an interesting film by itself. But it’s ultimately just another chapter of an overly episodic narrative. Elsewhere, Edward Norton is charming as Dylan’s early mentor, Pete Seeger, while Boyd Holbrook surprisingly steals a few scenes as Johnny Cash. Conversely, Fanning’s role ends up being pretty thankless, her character reduced to watching Dylan from backstage on the verge of tears.

My daughter, who was watching this with me and knows nothing about Bob Dylan, remarked that the movie relentlessly moves along on the assumption that the audience is already familiar with the smaller details of its subject’s life and background. That’s a pretty accurate assessment. The film is chock full of music and Chalamet’s physical transformation into Dylan is remarkable. But in the end, A Complete Unknown’s main character largely remains unknown.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Story; Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan; The Supporting Cast; The Design.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director James Mangold.