If you weren’t familiar with the actor’s name before, you’ll definitely know it now. Timotheé Chalamet shines as Bob Dylan in the upcoming film about the singer’s life named after a line from one of his hit songs, A Complete Unknown. The biopic chronicles Dylan’s rise to fame from the young age of 19 in the bustle and hustle of New York City in 1961. His incredible talent and unique sound caught folks attention every time he sung with his one of a kind sound and attention to storytelling within his songwriting.
Dylan is regarded as a musical icon with the film including the pivotal moment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where he chose to do things his way by opting to perform new songs with an electric guitar as opposed to his acoustic. In a world full of copycats, Dylan was a pioneer in his prime and is still influencial to this day. It’s truly heartwarming to see a musician receive his flowers and get to see his legacy play out on screen while he is still alive, so kudos to James Mangold for bringing this story to life.
The script is beautifully written, but it is further enhanced by the massive talent of the supporting cast that includes Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, and Scoot McNairy. The subtle love triangle between Dylan, Joan (Barbaro), and Sylvie (Fanning) draws emotion as you watch two women fall for the same man, with them each fitting into two different aspects of his life. It is through their interactions with Dylan that you begin to see him as some what of a jerk and find yourself wondering if he really is like that or if this was for entertainment value (it’s probably a safe assumption that Mangold wouldn’t stray too far from reality with the musician alive and well enough to despite those claims).
I’d venture to say Norton as Pete Seeger is unlike any role we’ve seen him in before, from the way he gentlely engages with Dylan to the musical performance he delivers. It is through the growth in their relationship that you find yourself feeling bad for Seeger, as he took Dylan in and gave him his first real shot, but is later brushed off by the musician as his career takes off. As talented as he might be, it was clearly depicted that he was rather selfish and extremely blunt.
Chalamet gives the performance of his career, up there to compete with the release of Dune: Part Two back in March. 2024 is shaping up to be quite the year for the 28-year-old actor, with Oscar buzz surrounding both films. It is quite possible that his well-crafted depiction of Dylan could not only lead to his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor (his first was for Call Me By Your Name), but that he very well may have a solid chance at taking home the golden statue. So what exactly makes Chalamet so good as Dylan? Well, for starters, he got the voice down packed to couple with the singer’s mannerisms.
To dive even further, the actor was fully committed to fully embodying the role as he told Rolling Stone about working with a vocal coach, guitar teacher, dialect coach, amongst other avenues of preparation. “I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparing to play him… so while I was in it, that was eternal focus. He deserved that and then more…”. The setting further added to immersing the audience into the 60’s, with many important moments in history flashing across tv screens throughout the film. From the assassinations of JFK and Malcom X to the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War, A Complete Unknown stands out as more than just your average biopic. Mangold took his time to propel us into a period when Dylan’s revolutionary music was the soundtrack behind several historical events that were happening simultaneously.
We highlighted earlier the rarity of a biopic releasing with the subject still around to see it come to fruition. Perhaps one of the greatest compliments in life is portraying a person then have them praise you for your talent. Dylan recently took to social media to speak on Chalamet, saying, “There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothée Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me…”.
He goes on to explain how the film is based on the book by Elijah Wald called Dylan Goes Electric and encourages viewers to read it after they’ve seen the film. It’s a mystery whether or not Dylan plans to see the film or if he had any input in it at all (it appears safe to assume he did not, sadly), but it’s a beautiful thing for Chalalet to be cosigned by the man himself. He’s a wildly talented actor that is a breath of fresh air to see get his flowers for his acting skills. A Complete Unknown perfectly marries a great script with well executed storytelling, topped with a stellar cast to seal the deal. It’s without a doubt that it’ll fill nomination lists when award season rolls around.
A Complete Unknown hits theaters Christmas Day, 2024.
