A Complete Unknown 2024 Movie Review
Here in Minnesota, we love Bob Dylan. We also love James Mangold (Logan) and Timothée Chalamet (Interstellar). At least I know I do. When Mangold attached himself to a biopic of Bob Dylan and then cast Chalamet as his lead, I knew he’d have the look, and I was curious to see if he’d successfully wrap his head around Dylan’s peculiar, iconic and original catalogue of music. I’m glad to report that, yes, Chalamet WOWs again with his performance, one that examines a controversy like no other: the use of electric instruments.
When Bob Dylan (Chalamet) arrives in New York in search of meeting an idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy, Argo), he also enters into a friendship with folk musician Pete Seeger (Edward Norton, Fight Club). Dylan becomes an original and unforgettable force within the folk music scene, and as his star rises, he finds that his frequently-evolving musical style clashes with the more traditions folk musicians in his circle.
It would be easy to lump all the praise on Chalamet’s performance in A Complete Unknown, and he is incredible, but he’s also surrounded by numerous actors at the top of their game here. Edward Norton disappears into the role of Pete Seeger, a character unlike any other he’s ever played. For a moment, the thought popped up in my head that this was the same actor from Fight Club, and my mind wrestled with that realization. Monica Barbaro, while being solid in Top Gun: Maverick, absolutely shines as Joan Baez, perfectly capturing the look and feel of the musician quite well. Then, there’s Boyd Holbrook (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), who takes on the role of Johnny Cash. For a while, Cash’s character is shrouded in mystery, leading me to wonder if Mangold somehow convinced Joaquin Phoenix to return. When it’s revealed that Boyd Holbrook had taken on the role, I was shocked by how seamlessly he transformed into Cash that he rivals Phoenix’s tremendous performance with much less screen time.
I’m glad that the end credits put a heavy emphasis on the musical performances in A Complete Unknown, as I would’ve believed that a large portion of it was recorded by the original artist. When you are dealing with iconic singers, the ability, or lack thereof, can make or break a performance, and this is a case where the four main musical performers in the film (Chalamet, Norton, Barbaro, and Holbrook) are all excellent at emulating the voices authentically. I was even more shocked that Mangold found two excellent Johnny Cash portrayals across his career, with Joaquin Phoenix in 2005’s Walk the Line and now Holbrook in the role.
The decision to focus heavily on a small four-year portion of time within Dylan’s career may disappoint some diehard fans who want a more all-encompassing presentation of the musician’s life, but I’d argue that in doing so, Mangold’s film becomes a more accessible and unique story, one that doesn’t fall back on traditional and cliche music biopic tropes. There were several times in Mangold’s film that I expected a familiar beat to appear, only for Mangold to actually dive further into not just Dylan’s psyche, but also his on-and-off girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning, Maleficent) as well as Joan Baez, who had a rather contentious relationship with the performer.
While A Complete Unknown occasionally slips into traditional music biopic tropes, Bob Dylan is such a singularly important talent in American music that it doesn’t feel as wash/rinse/repeat as other similar films, and it’s elevated by amazing performances, including musically, that make this one worth checking out for casual and diehard Dylan fans. Mangold’s film refocuses itself quite nicely as it moves on, closing on a few memorable and important musical showcases. This Minnesotan movie fan can absolutely recommend A Complete Unknown.
