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“A Complete Unknown” Has a Lot to Please New and Old Dylan Fans

Writer's picture: Delphian NewspaperDelphian Newspaper

By Joseph D’Andrea


Starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown” tells the story of the musician’s rise to fame in the early to mid-1960s. Beginning in a car on its way to New York City in 1961, the audience first sees Dylan as an outsider to the music-filled streets upon his arrival. As Dylan travels to meet his hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), in a hospital bed, he also encounters folk musician Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) who helps him break into the Greenwich Village folk scene. From here on, Dylan begins to develop both relationships with fellow musicians, friends and lovers, as well as his musical sound, which culminates in the climax, where we see Dylan reject the folk purists and embrace a more rock-and-roll approach.

To put it plainly, the film is a great introduction to the music of Bob Dylan, and I’m not

Timothée Chalamet took on the role of musician Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” which follows the artist’s personal and musical evolution, beginning with his rise to popularity in the New York folk scene. Photo by FMT
Timothée Chalamet took on the role of musician Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” which follows the artist’s personal and musical evolution, beginning with his rise to popularity in the New York folk scene. Photo by FMT

going to pretend like it’s anything more than that because that wouldn’t be fair. Care and effort were put into making it accessible to those who’ve only heard “Like a Rolling Stone” and Chalamet does a really solid job as Dylan. So, if you’re looking to take your first step into the wildly wide-ranging world of the self-described song-and-dance man, this is a nice starting point before you reach the crossroads of judgment. With that being said, I have some gripes.

I was rooting for this movie. I’m not generally pessimistic toward by-the-book biopics. I’ve been watching a bunch of Chalamet’s interviews over the past month. The choice of having the actors perform songs live got my attention, and I thought James Mangold (who helmed the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line”) was a good choice to direct. “A Complete Unknown” was everything I expected it to be yet also a bit of a letdown in its storytelling. Mangold and Chalamet successfully avoid portraying Dylan like any other subject given the traditional true-story treatment but, strangely, that is what ended up being the film’s biggest pitfall for me. Yes, Dylan’s an enigma, but he’s still a person. The Dylan we see in the second half of the movie does not feel like a human being, but more like a fairly soulless vessel from which songs just happen to pour out. This is in contrast to the first half of the film, which I’d go as far as to say I loved. 

The visit to Guthrie and the subsequent father-figure relationship Dylan developed with Seeger was touching. We learn more about others like fellow folk beauty Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), but not nearly as much as I would’ve preferred, especially considering she’s sidelined and reduced to person-who-Dylan-pissed-off in the latter half of the film. It’s not Baez’s movie, but maybe it should’ve leaned in that direction more. Or, in other words, I thought the love triangle with the music providing an outlet for both their artistry and feelings toward one another made for the most engaging parts. But, I digress, since that’d be a completely different movie and this film’s story has always been one about Dylan musically subverting his audience (the original title was “Going Electric”).

The 1965 portion, as opposed to the folk scene parts, which were much more genuine and filled with emotion, tended to feel less personal. Initially, I liked the choice of hard-cutting from “The Times They Are a-Changin” Dylan to roughly a full year later where his hair is frizzier and he’s donning sunglasses that make him look both cool and secluded. Dylan is inherently mysterious and the movie makes note of this more than once. He explains his supposed traveling-circus past to his activist then-girlfriend Sylvie Russo (a name-swap of the real-life Suze Rotolo), played by Elle Fanning, and Baez (who calls him out), as well as to reporters (not represented here). But just because it’s impossible to fully “understand” Dylan does not mean that he can’t be humanized. Again, the first half of the movie does a good job of balancing the two: it’s honest in showing how he’s carelessly cold to his lovers and lets the songs speak for his soul. It’s unlikely you’ll remember more dialogue-driven scenes than you can count on one hand, but the performances are still playing in my head, particularly the earlier ones.

Where I find the film disappointing was the portrayal of Dylan famously (or infamously) plugging in at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It’s seminal and deserves to be told on screen — just as his early years in West Village are. But for those who don’t have prior knowledge as to why it was given such climactic treatment, I fear it gives off the impression that Dylan was simply giving a middle finger to the crowd who made him famous. Despite the inclusion of several songs from 1965’s “Bringing It All Back Home,” including a partial “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” the more climactic “Maggie’s Farm,” and Dylan working out lyrics to “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” the reason for that change in style could’ve been represented better. “Maggie’s Farm” is scathing, yes — “Well, I try my best to be just like I am / But everybody wants you to be just like them.” But I’ve always been under the impression that his personal rebellion was more so against the purists and journalists who were attaching a “voice of his generation” label to him, as opposed to the folk scene itself. I trust Mangold’s thoughts are the same as mine but not enough is shown of the external pressures he felt to communicate the full story of why Dylan rebelled. I’m conscious that showing that sharp contrast represents the feeling of the controversy. But I think that, in the long run, shortcutting didn’t help the case of displaying Dylan as anything more than someone who rolled over on the other side of the bed one morning and decided to suddenly “go electric.”

Regardless of all this, “A Complete Unknown” is very enjoyable for both Dylan fans and newbies alike, thanks to the great performances all around and the wonderful music. I see it for what it is: a gateway. Mangold, Chalamet and company deserve credit for pulling off a story that captures Dylan to a decent extent and puts his music on display in a respectful way. The Dylan fanbase is not easy to please and the fact that Chalamet won over many die-hards says a lot. This movie is a pregame to diving into Dylan’s discography. Once you’re fastened, check out D.A. Pennebaker’s “Don't Look Back” — a firsthand documentation of Dylan’s 1965 concert tour in England, which better highlights his humor — and 2007’s “I’m Not There” if you want a more complex look at Dylan during the years the new film tackles.

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