“A Complete Unknown” review: Timothée Chalamet turns heads as Bob Dylan

Go out A complete unknown and on the streets of New York City, not far from where Bob Dylan roamed in his vagabond days of the 1960s, I felt empty and dissatisfied. Far from revealing the secrets of the widely acclaimed singer-songwriter’s heart, co-writer/director James Mangold’s biographical drama keeps the man behind the legend and lyrics a secret. But as I distanced myself from that night, upon reflection I realized that this was exactly Mangold’s intention.

Dylan’s lyrics in songs like “The Times They Are A-Changin'” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” spoke to his generation and generations to come. He is now 83 and still exerts a huge influence, not only on folk music, but also on rock and American music as a whole. Because so many identify with his lyrics, we like to think we can identify with him. As with all celebrities whose work we admire or whose personalities we envy, we crave confirmation that they are who we imagine them to be and that they are in some way like us. And yet they do not owe us this inwardness. Dylan, even in his decades of fame, even as him tweets chaoticallyAfter 60 years in the spotlight, he is still an unknown in many ways.

The title of this film, which comes from Dylan’s lyrics to “Like a Rolling Stone,” warns the audience right from the start. A completely unknown, Despite its haunting and rigorous recreation of the 1960s folk era and a star-studded cast dedicated to capturing the distinctiveness of luminaries such as Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash and Joan Baez, it refuses it strives to conform to the expectations of a standard Hollywood biopic by demystifying its subject. From the first scene to the finale, Dylan (portrayed by Timothée Chalamet) is a man who belongs to the people and yet is separate from them. He refuses to be oppressed by societal norms, romantic obligations, genre conventions, or community pressures. Maybe he is sincere. Maybe his mystique is a pose. Maybe we don’t really want to know.

A complete unknown travels from Dylan’s beginnings in music to the push he became electric.

Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

Adapted from the book by Elijah Wald Dylan goes electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the night that divided the sixtiesMangold’s film begins in 1961 New York City, where a scrawny, scrawny man struts through the streets of downtown Manhattan with a newspaper clipping in his hand. Bob Dylan (Chalamet) sets out to find the hospice where his idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) is hanging around, partially paralyzed and voiceless, but not alone. When Dylan tracks him back to Jersey, he meets another folk star, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), who not only sings political songs but also defends them against a government afraid of the voice of its people.

The three quickly become friends, and the buzz of their connection is as immediate and enchanting as the song Dylan plays to impress his heroes. Soon he will not only find his place in the folk scene and Greenwich Village, but also in the bed of a beautiful artist and activist named Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). (She is based on Dylan’s ex Suze Rotolo, who is pictured with the musician on the 1963 album cover Bob Dylan on the loose.) But once Dylan finds his rhythm, the film moves forward several years, to 1965, when he is an established megastar whose burgeoning interest in electric guitar threatens to outrage his fan base at the Newport Folk Festival and his early allies.

Timothée Chalamet is dead serious yet irritating as Bob Dylan.

Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

That is also the point. Whether he’s flirting with Sylvie or playing for Woody, young Bob is dedicated to building his own mythology. This is easy for his male musician colleagues to accept; Building your stage persona is just as valid as writing lyrics or building your band. However, Dylan’s lovers suffer from the friction between fiction and real life.

While he’s cool and charmingly chaotic around his boys, he’s a charismatic terror to the women in his life. His stories of carnival origins collide with personal memorabilia that reveal his true name (Robert Zimmerman) and his banal middle-class origins. Even though they live together, Sylvie demands to meet the “real” Bob. Meanwhile, Dylan’s sometimes beloved, sometimes rival Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) confronts the creative genius at his most desperate and selfish when he bursts into her hotel room to insult her craftsmanship, simultaneously disrupting her peace and casually snatching her guitar .

In short, this Dylan is one hell of a guy who thinks highly of himself above all else, even though he relies heavily on others to house him, make him coffee, and give him the support his early career needs. Chalamet flits effortlessly from stage to motorcycle ride to seedy hotel room, embracing the renegade poet and his delights at every turn. Chalamet’s movie-star charm smooths out some of the rough edges, but his performance intelligently lets Dylan’s stubborn egocentricity shine through.

This portrayal sings that this is a man who dances to the beat of his own drum at all costs. But what drives the drumbeat remains undiscovered. Perhaps the audience is invited to psychoanalytically analyze Bob’s motivations behind his sometimes impulsive, often reckless actions. But after 60 years, no one has been able to get to the heart of Dylan. (Todd Haynes may have been there I’m not there, the surreal biopic, in which a number of actors played the singer in various guises in fictional, factual and parable settings.)

Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro are at the heart of A complete unknown.

Ed Norton plays Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown.
Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

Because Mangold’s script ties its audience to a protagonist who consciously distances himself from everyone, it’s important that the supporting cast bursts out with the emotions Bob would never dare express. Norton, Fanning and Barbaro do this in a symphony of emotion that carries the film.

Norton, for his part, plays a warm father figure. The edge of the actor’s early career, when he played harrowing killers Primal fear And American History Xwas tempered by the gentle easing of the Middle Ages and an elegant softening of spirit. As Pete stands in front of a scowling government official and plays Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” sweetly but defiantly, it becomes clear how eloquent and wise it is to rebel with a sincere smile. This enchanting scene also sets the stage for how drastically different Dylan’s hoarse, mumbled and disillusioned folk was from his icons.

Sunny, sophisticated and smart, Sylvie is a dream girl for a starving artist new in town. Far from being some kind of doting follower, Fanning brings a strong sense to Sylvie’s knowing look, every raised eyebrow and every patient response. If anyone was easy to open up to, it was her. That Bob can’t do it is his tragedy, not hers.

Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown.
Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

Last but not least, Barbaro is a revelation as Joan Baez. Her voice is pretty, but Bob’s voice is rough. He is quick to mock her publicly and privately for her beauty and for trying too hard. It’s a criticism that is clearly misogynistic and ignores the unforgiving double standards women face, and Joan won’t let him get away with it. She calls him an asshole to his face, but – especially – after a night in bed together.

Baez wrote the famous heartbreaking song “Diamonds and Rust” about their rocky romance. (“My poetry is bad, you said.”) In A complete unknowntheir chemistry is undeniable; The jealousy that strikes both parties and the pain they share as artists and lovers is breathtaking and cuts to the core, even as she smiles sharply.

Each of these performances masterfully fleshes out these characters so that they exist beyond their connection to Dylan. You can see how they tie together, how it hurts when he cuts the tie, but also how each one is a tapestry even without him. That’s what makes it above all A complete unknown remarkable and sets it apart from countless dramas about an abusive (and always male) creative genius whose bad behavior is effectively dismissed as a cost to art.

Here Mangold does not criticize Bob’s behavior, but rather exposes it and shows that it is not independent of why he was hugged. He was the creative nomad we admired and perhaps sometimes wanted to be. But the relentless movement of this rolling stone comes at a price, and this film makes that clear.

A complete unknown is a rare and wonderful musician biopic.

Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

In the end, A complete unknown is praised for many of its elements. Chief among them will be Chalamet’s performance, which has already received public praise from the filmmakers Paul Schrader and Bob Dylan himself. The 28-year-old actor deserves such accolades because he simultaneously conveys a wisdom beyond his years and a childish daring that creates a clear but elusive portrait of Bob Dylan. Furthermore, he expertly imitates Dylan’s signature vocal style, giving the performance a fluidity and urgency that might have been lost when lip-syncing to old tracks.

And yet, what impresses me most? A complete unknown is storytelling outside of its theme. Through thoughtful placement of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Sylvie/Suze, Mangold subtly but powerfully shows how an artist is shaped by his or her surroundings. Bob may not allow us into his inner self, but we do witness who he pretends to be depending on who he’s trying to impress, confuse, or anger. And yet Mangold refuses to treat these supporting characters as if they were just a small stake designed to thwart his towering talent. Like the rigorous and immersive production design that transports audiences to 1960s Greenwich Village, the character-building performance of Mangold and his ensemble allows us to immerse ourselves in this pivotal era with ease and twist A complete unknown almost like a hangout movie. And that in itself is pretty outstanding.

A complete unknown won’t be in theaters until December 25th.