A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (2024) review

written by: James Mangold and Jay Cocks
produced by: Fred Berger, James Mangold, Alex Heineman, Bob Bookman, Peter Jaysen, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen & Timothée Chalamet
directed by: James Mangold
rated: R (for language)
runtime: 141 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2024

There will never be a straightforward biopic about Bob Dylan. That’s because there’s never been anything straightforward about the enigmatic Nobel Prize-winning singer/songwriter. His persona has constantly been evolving and changing as either a reflection of the times or a contradiction. Todd Haynes knew this when he made “I’m Not There,” which is why the 2007 film looked at the many stages of Dylan’s life through a prism in which six actors embodied different versions of the poet troubadour. For “A Complete Unknown,” director James Mangold also knows this as he presents a protagonist who lives up to the film’s title.

Mangold has chosen to adapt Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, which follows the bustling period from 1961 to 1965 when a young Dylan arrived in New York and plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival. Much happened during that time in America, and this is when it all started for Dylan, so it’s a significant period to hone in on rather than encompassing his entire life.

That being said, it’s important to note that this isn’t a movie set out to “understand” Dylan. The title doesn’t just come from his legendary 1965 single “Like A Rolling Stone.” Still, it also serves as a descriptor of who Dylan has always been to the masses and a forewarning for those hoping the movie will allow us to be inside the artist. That’s not happening here. But what Mangold does is bring us back in time when a young Dylan was taking in the ambiance of a revitalized folk scene in Greenwich Village. It changed and inspired him as a writer and performer. The movie also shows us how this burgeoning, elusive talent impacted those around him, such as other performers, record producers, and a developing fickle fanbase.

As the film opens, we see a vagabond-looking Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) arriving in The Village circa 1961 with guitar in hand and a goal of meeting his hero, folk singer Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). He makes his way to a New Jersey hospital, where Woody is being treated for Huntington’s disease, and that’s where he meets Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), another folk singer he’s revered. After playing “Song to Woody” in the hospital room, both men are taken aback by Dylan’s songwriting. “Bobby” is immediately taken in under Seeger’s wing, staying with his family and getting introduced to various venues and performers in the emerging folk scene in New York City.

This is where Dylan catches the attention of three crucial figures from this time in his life: Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler), who would go on to become Dylan’s manager; Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), a popular folk singer in her own right, and Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) a passionate activist, visual artist, and teacher who will become Dylan’s on-again/off-again girlfriend (based on Suze Rotolo and renamed for the film at Dylan’s request). These three must contend with Dylan’s contrarian ways, incorrigible behavior, and overall caginess while being impressed with his prolific writing talents. At the time, folksingers had been performing (and recording) traditional songs in the lexicon for decades, but Dylan was presenting something new and different: his own songs.

Dylan’s popularity rises as audiences are impressed with his stage charisma, as well as his way with words on songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “The Times They Are A-Changin'”, and “Masters of War”. He finds a kindred spirit in Baez, who can’t help but fall, although, after a while, she is done putting up with his crap. There are hints at Dylan’s inability to embrace his celebrity and fan expectations, which will grow stronger as his fanbase increases. He becomes pen pals with Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) after the country singer initiates correspondence and encourages Dylan to continue following his own path. Refusing to be categorized at every turn, Dylan winds up causing quite the stir for music purists like concert manager Harold Leventhal (P.J. Byrne) and folklorist Alan Lomax (Norbert Leo Butz), both of whom were quite concerned when rumors spread that Dylan was about to do the forbidden by plugging in an electric guitar backed by a full band on stage for the final night of the Newport Folk Festival in July of 1965.

While “A Complete Unknown” essentially ends after that controversial night, it nevertheless packs quite a lot during its runtime. Indeed, there is quite a bit to cover between these specific years. Yet, the screenplay co-written by Mangold and veteran Jay Cocks (a frequent collaborator with Martin Scorsese) flows so impressively smoothly. There are Easter Eggs for any hardcore eagle-eyed Dylan fan while also making the narrative easily accessible for the uninitiated or casual fan to follow one of the most influential American artists of our time. Lines of dialogue feel as accurate as the convincing interaction rather than the typical canonical pitstops often associated with the genre.

Mangold reunites with a handful of filmmaking talents to bring meticulous authenticity to the time and place of the era. The combination of cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) and production designer François Audouy (“Logan”) bring it all to life with immersive camerawork and artful lighting, along with a detailed atmosphere that feels lived-in with every shot. Costume designer Arianne Phillips (“Joker: Folie à Deux”) is spot-on with period-accurate wardrobes and shows how Dylan’s changes from start to finish are even prevalent in his apparel. All these elements pull us in closer, allowing us to imagine what it was like to experience all that went down back then for the first time. That’s pretty incredible and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

One of the best ways Mangold commits to such verisimilitude is by allowing the music to speak for itself. Instead of using montages during a musician’s rising career, Mangold captures Chalamet as he performs Dylan’s songs for the first time, placing the camera (and viewers) amongst an enraptured or enraged audience. “A Complete Unknown” isn’t in a hurry but allows us to sit with these songs. Those familiar with Dylan’s uncanny prose will be reminded of what an incredible wordsmith he is during these moments while possibly being envious of those in the film who are discovering Dylan for the first time. I know I was.

Chalamet immersed himself in Dylan for five years, learning his voice, guitar, harmonica style, and body language. Mangold convincingly captures the actor performing these songs live on camera, as he does with Barbaro, Norton, and Holbrook. They all do pitch-perfect work performing the songs while conveying just the right amount of personality during each song. These are organic albeit calibrated performances, which find each actor disappearing into their roles. Somehow, that must be because they’re playing real people. When Chalamet played Paul Atraides in the two Dune movies and Willy Wonka in “Wonka,” it’s hard not to see “Timothée Chalamet” as these characters, as good as he was in those roles. But there’s something about his work here as Dylan: I quickly forgot who was in the titular role. I think that’s because Chalamet and the other actors portraying singers here have a plethora of material to work from, allowing them to fully inhabit who these people are, even for limited screen time.

But the performances in “A Complete Unknown” aren’t just impressive when these singers are strumming a guitar or banjo. It’s the off-mic moments when they’re simply interacting. Chalamet and Norton, in particular, absolutely nail the dispositions of their characters throughout the film. Norton’s Seeger could’ve been a throw-away role, but as Wald’s book details, he’s an integral part of Dylan’s story at this time, and thanks to Norton’s soulful warmth and calibrated patience, Seeger becomes the heart of the movie. Since Chalamet’s Dylan wiggles away from labeling and feigns his rising popularity, not to mention how he’s an incorrigible cad with the ladies, so having Seeger in this role is needed. He’s as much of a gateway to Dylan’s artistry and reception as Fanning’s Sylvie, and in turn, maybe they are two sides to that heart.

What comes to the forefront of “A Complete Unknown” is how effective music can be to individuals and a culture. Maybe that’s just a reminder for some viewers (and sometimes we need it), but it’s a vital illumination for others. In a world where we have access to songs at the scroll of our thumb, here’s a film that reminds us of the songwriters behind the music who are quite often just like ourselves, for better or worse.

RATING: ****