A Complete Unknown

Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Joe Tippett, Eriko Hatsune, Peter Gerety, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, Boyd Holbrook, P.J. Byrne
Directed by: James Mangold
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Music
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) arrives in New York City to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). While there, he connects with Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and begins a meteoric rise in the music industry.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown, which keeps James Mangold 12/12 of films of his I've enjoyed. It's pretty rare to see a director not deliver a single movie that wasn't good (although to be fair, I haven't seen his debut, Heavy). This one might not be as powerful as his Walk the Line, but it's an interesting character study of Bob Dylan and an exceptionally well-made film. The movie was nominated for an impressive 8 Academy Awards, but it's a bummer it didn't win a single one. I was disappointed in that, even as I acknowledge that despite it's strengths, it does fall short of greatness.

Dylan is quite an interesting character for us to follow. He wrote so many hit songs that perfectly encapsulated the era around him. Even to this day, many of his songs are absolute masterpieces. He himself always felt a bit inscrutable, though. That might be one of the big flaws here- we see Dylan a lot, but I'm not sure we really understand his character from his depiction here. We watch his actions, but I'm not sure the film does enough to dive into his psyche. I will say that I enjoyed this film better than I'm Not There, the previous Dylan biopic that Todd Haynes directed. That one took huge swings in its unconventional casting and approach. It was ambitious, but I think this film is better- it's more grounded, more interesting in its narrative. I do think that it says a lot about Dylan as a character that two very different films have now been made about him.

I thought Timothee Chalamet was excellent as Dylan. Chalamet truly is one of the most exciting young actors working today. I think he has the talent and range to do anything on screen. He's wonderful in Dune, and then can deliver a stunning, showstopping performance like this one. I thought his singing was tremendous, he truly channels Dylan in so many ways. Chalamet didn't win the Oscar, but it felt like his performance was worthy as a contender. He really seems to slip into this character and make him feel human (even if we never fully dive deep enough into his psyche). His performance is dazzling.

One thing I loved about Mangold's film is that he creates space for the supporting cast. While this movie is obviously about Bob Dylan, it seems to want you to understand him based on those he surrounded himself with. This is a great approach in many ways, and it allows for other actors to give remarkable performances, too. Next to Chalamet, I think you need to give immense credit to Edward Norton. He similarly transforms himself into Pete Seeger- the prosthetics helped, but it's more his demeanor, his tone- everything Norton does feels calculated to breathe life into this famous musician. I couldn't take my eyes off Norton on screen- everything he does feels authentic and wonderfully effective. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and while no one was going to beat Kieran Culkin, Norton's nomination is well-deserved. He's a very experienced actor with a long list of tremendous performances, but his work here still feels shockingly good.

I also have to say that I loved the performance of Elle Fanning. This surprised me, just because I still believe I think of her as the little girl, younger sister of Dakota. Fanning here delivers a grown-up performance, an emotional, subtle, transfixing performance that is nuanced and powerful. I can't overstate her importance to this film. She shows up in so many quiet ways and delivers a remarkable, unforgettable performance. Honestly, I thought she should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. That nom went instead to Monica Barbaro, and I can't complain too much- while I thought Fanning was slightly more effective, Barbaro slips into Joan Baez brilliantly. It's the best I've ever seen that character depicted on screen. Her Baez feels real, lived-in, not a side-player in Dylan's life, but her own, powerful force in the world. Barbaro takes a supporting character and makes you feel certain that she's the lead in her own story, it's just that her story and Dylan's collide here. It's a strong, noteworthy performance, and I felt very pleased for the recognition Barbaro received. In addition, the film features a tremendous performance by Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, and strong additions by Dan Fogler and Boyd Holbrook, who really disappears into Johnny Cash. While this cast is so impressive, I do want to acknowledge that James Mangold always seems to get terrific performances from his cast. The cast here is large and yet, he manages to make room for all of them to shine.

In addition to an interesting story and stunning cast, A Complete Unknown just feels like such an expertly crafted movie. I enjoyed every minute of it because of the confidence of Mangold in bringing this story to life. In addition to Academy Award nominations for Chalamet, Norton, and Barbaro, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Costume Design. That gives you a sense of the multiple areas that this film excelled in. As I said, it would have been nice for the movie to win at least one, but it's a testament to this film's effectiveness.

The movie might be a tad long at 2 hours and 21 minutes, but I get that much of that runtime involved the supporting characters around Dylan. I really appreciated that approach, even though I do wish we understood his character better. I also think the narrative could have been a bit stronger- I cared about the characters and their interactions, but what was going to happen at the Newport Folk Festival just held less importance in my mind. It did feel a bit secondary. Still, Mangold should be applauded for this film, although I have to admit, this movie lacks the big punch that he achieved with Walk the Line. That move transcended the limitations of the musical biopic to hit true "greatness". This movie never quite breaks through in the same way. That being said, Bob Dylan is a fascinating human being and I loved this look at his early career. I was entertained from beginning to end and I appreciated this film so much.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Walk the Line, I'm Not There, Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird