Our Review

            Movie: A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

                     Rating: R, language`

                          Length: 2:20

       Release Date: December 25, 2024                                              Christmas Day

Jeanne: In 1961, a 19-year-old travels from Minnesota to New York City in search of his idol Woody Guthrie. He has a guitar with him and not much else --- except an incredible talent for writing and singing his truth. That young man was Bob Dylan, who went on to become a bigger legend than perhaps even he imagined. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN covers the four years beginning with his arrival on the scene, leading to his conversion into a rock-and-roll icon.

 

Timothée Chalamet stars as Dylan and his performance is quietly electrifying. Beginning with finding Guthrie (Scoot McNairy in a terrific speechless role) in a VA hospital in New Jersey suffering from Huntington’s disease and then performing a song he had written just for Guthrie, Chalamet embodies Dylan in every aspect. It is during this visit that Dylan meets Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), a close friend of Guthrie’s and one of the architects of the folk music movement.

 

Seeger is so impressed with Dylan that he takes him home to meet his wife, Toshi (Eriko Hatsune), and their children. What comes next is a meteoric rise from the intimate settings in Greenwich Village to the Newport Folk Festival. Along the way, he meets artist and freedom fighter Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) and of course, the formidable Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), already a folk legend in the making.

 

Dylan also had another important musician who influenced him and his music --- Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, played here with great panache by Boyd Holbrook. The two had become pen pals, and eventually met at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. Cash was enamored with Dylan and his rebellious streak --- telling Dylan to “Make some noise, B-D. Track some mud on the carpet.” It was the very next year at the same festival when Dylan shows up with his new rock band and all hell breaks loose.

This period of the 1960s was extremely volatile with the anti-war and civil rights movements both capturing the attention of the nation. And Dylan was there with his profound songwriting, virtually taking over as leader of the folk music scene. He performed right before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. It was a heady time for this young musician who would continue to exert his influence over the next six decades.

 

Directed by James Mangold, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jay Cocks, the title A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is part of a line from one of Dylan’s many hit songs “Like a Rolling Stone” circa 1965. The number of songs he composed is staggering, many of which he recorded, while some were written for other artists. Besides Seeger, Baez was instrumental in recognizing Dylan’s impressive talent and using her already established career to promote his capabilities.

 

Chalamet’s path to stardom began with his breakout role in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and hasn’t let up. His immense talent for acting has served him well in his diverse choices. But this performance is career defining --- a tour de force portrayal of one of the most iconic musicians ever to grace any stage. And Chalamet succeeds brilliantly by creating his own version of Dylan.

 

Mangold, who is also responsible for WALK THE LINE, a chronicle of Johnny and June Carter Cash, which garnered Reese Witherspoon an Oscar for Best Actress, is insistent that the actors in his films do their own singing. And Chalamet was no exception. He spent five years preparing to play Dylan, watching hours of his performances with voice coach Eric Vetro, learning to play the guitar with Larry Saltzman --- and the harmonica. It’s a staggering achievement that elevates A COMPLETE UNKNOWN to one of the best films of the year.

 

But it isn’t just Chalamet who shines. Norton plays Seeger with an overwhelming kindness for which Pete was known. It’s against type for Norton and he masters his character. Fanning and Barbaro each bring their own special qualities to their roles. Sylvie was Dylan’s first love and Fanning is exceptional in conveying Sylvie’s deep feelings for this difficult man. Baez has long been my personal idol. Her voice is completely unique and Barbaro, like Chalamet, spent a great deal of time perfecting her version of the “Queen of Folk”.

 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a triumph for Mangold, his cast and crew. Instead of utilizing pre-recorded songs which would normally be played back, 98% of the film was live due to Chalamet’s preparedness. Even if you’re not a Dylan fan or familiar with his music, in this current era of “influencers”, there was never one bigger than this prodigious legend.

 

Opinion: Strong See It Now!

David: Timothée Chalamet is on the cusp of his 29th birthday and there is substantial reason to consider him the best actor of his generation. Chalamet immerses himself in every role he undertakes, and he has no fear of diving headlong into incredibly diverse subjects.

 

We knew he could sing because of his delightful 2023 film WONKA. But to authentically portray an icon like Bob Dylan would require more than his voice talents. To that end, before and during Covid, Chalamet learned how to play the guitar --- expertly --- as well as the harmonica. And he worked with voice coach Eric Vetro to integrate Dylan’s posture and mannerisms into his singing.

 

At one point in shooting A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, the filmmakers wanted to use playback. i.e, material from Dylan’s vast library of recordings. But Chalamet insisted, based on his five years of intense training, that he was ready to shoot scenes live. Lucky for us his persistence paid off.

 

It's worth the price of admission just to watch Chalamet perform on the guitar. This film, directed by James Mangold who co-wrote the screenplay with Jay Cocks, is a musical that promises to raise goosebumps for anyone familiar with Dylan’s early material.

But it’s not just Dylan’s songs at play here. Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) also shore up the superb characterizations. Norton sings and plays the banjo wonderfully while Barbaro displays a beautiful voice performing Baez’ works. Other cast standouts are Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Dan Fogler as manager Albert Grossman.

 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN covers a small portion of Dylan’s career, notably 1961 through 1965. It is  fascinating to watch an unknown 19-year-old walk into a New Jersey VA hospital ward to meet his idol Woody Guthrie who suffers from Huntington’s disease.

 

Scoot McNairy plays the dying Guthrie in a non-speaking, but very impressive, turn. Norton as Seeger, seated next to the bed, encourages Dylan to sing one of his original songs. And Seeger’s satisfied expression that he has just discovered a huge new musical talent is priceless.

 

Dylan, Baez and Seeger were mainstays at the famed Newport Folk Festival --- still a viable program today --- in the early 60s. Also a prolific songwriter, Dylan penned old favorites like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” that helped his meteoric rise to global fame while Baez performed and recorded his material.

 

Dylan is not without controversy as far as his romantic involvements go. Early on he meets and ultimately lives with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning in a heartbreaking performance), not her real name as Dylan – now in an advisory role for this film --- wanted to protect his real-life girlfriend Suze Rotolo. While together with Sylvie, the young Dylan gets involved with Baez on a rather intense basis, and this does not sit well with Sylvie.

 

Dylan stunned his fans and producers by performing a rock-and-roll set at the Newport festival in 1965. He played an electric guitar, an obvious taboo in the folk world, and the throngs of fans in the audience showed their displeasure with him. But it instantly popularized folk rock and Dylan’s album released later in the year, “Highway 61 Revisited”, which included his trademark song “Like A Rolling Stone”, is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. By the way, for you younger moviegoers, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a lyric from that song.

 

Mangold wanted complete authenticity for his film. To that end, he had Academy-Award nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips dress about 4500 background actors, plus approximately 100 actors with speaking parts and 15 main stars. Chalamet himself had more than 60 wardrobe changes.

 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN will certainly appeal to baby boomers, but younger moviegoers should find Dylan’s style and rapid rise to fame quite intriguing. Certainly, some of Mangold’s previous stellar directing efforts, like WALK THE LINE and FORD V. FERRARI, should entice people of all ages to enjoy this two hour and 20 minute epic, which goes by very quickly.

 

Opinion: Strong See It Now!