LIKE A ROLLIN’ STONE: ‘A COMPLETE UNKNOWN’ FILM REVIEW
by William Lindus
The period of 1961 to 1965 is perhaps the most interesting era of Bob Dylan’s career. During this time, he released five albums, including protest albums THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN and THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’, and his revolutionary electric album HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED. This is also the time period where he made a name for himself as an outsider in the music industry, where he began a love affair with Joan Baez, and became the voice of a generation.
Needless to say, it is no surprise that James Mangold chose this fertile era of Dylan’s life as the focus of his serviceable, if a bit underwritten, biopic A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, starring Timothee Chalamet as a young Dylan.
Perhaps the most unfair criticism that can be leveled against A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is the learning curve it takes to understand Chalamet’s dialogue as Dylan. After all, the quirk Dylan is most associated with is his mumble-talk communication style, and Chalamet captures that here. This isn’t just an impression of Dylan, though. Chalamet channels his version of Dylan, with wanderlust and ambition and a desire to not be caged, all funneled through a laid-back, devil may care persona.
A more fair criticism comes from the narrative arc of the screenplay, which captures the moments of Bob Dylan’s life during this era, but doesn’t convincingly tell us how Dylan has been changed by his experience, or how we should feel about Dylan outside of his legacy itself. The Bob Dylan at the beginning of this film is not too far removed from the Bob Dylan at the end of the film, at least not at his core. He has more fame, more clout, and more ability to make waves within the industry, but his path to get there is more or less a straight line. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN’s Dylan is a hollow vessel for the legacy that would eventually consume him, who finds himself transported from one monumental moment in his career to the next.
The supporting performances are solid throughout, including a searing Monica Barbaro as folk singer / love interest Joan Baez and the ever-cool Elle Fanning as activist / love interest Sylvie, but the show was stolen by Edward Norton, who plays Dylan’s friend and mentor Pete Seeger. Every scene with Norton is made better by his calm and controlling presence, helping to ground the story back towards something closer to relatable.
Bottom Line: It’s fair to say I learned a lot about Bob Dylan, his music, and his life by watching this film. For people who aren’t intimately familiar with Dylan’s history, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN will make for a good primer of key moments and songs in his discography to further explore.
‘But how does it feeeeeeeeeeeel?’
I don’t know; I didn’t feel much about the character of Dylan or his story. But when I left the theater, got to my car, and asked Siri to load up HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED? That I felt.
3 out of 5 Bear Paws