Timothée Chalamet gives a career best performance in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown, embodying the enigmatic Bob Dylan from a slow start in local clubs to eventual music stardom.
A Complete Unknown Review
Up until recently, the most I knew about Bob Dylan was that his son Jakob Dylan was the lead singer of the band The Wallflowers. (“One Headlight” was a jam when it dropped) Jakob had a famous dad, a folk rock singer with messy hair and specific mannerisms (thanks MTV for the history lesson) but that was it. In 2007 Todd Haynes' put out an unconventional Dylan neo-biopic titled “I'm Not There,” which saw six different actors portraying various aspects of Dylan's personality. It was an interesting approach, making it stand out in the music biopic world rather than get lost in the paint-by-numbers we usually see in the genre. For a man like Dylan, unusual is the way to go as that term aligns the most with his public persona. So how could director James Mangold present Dylan's life in a way that would envelope all of that without retreading the ground Haynes covered?
After tackling Johnny Cash's life in Walk the Line James Mangold has returned to the music biopic sphere to direct and co-write A Complete Unknown. The title is more than just a line from Dylan's “Like a Rolling Stone,” it serves as the basis for Mangold's approach to this musician's life. In 1961, Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) arrived in New York City with little more than the clothes he was wearing, his guitar, and a belief he was going to make it big. At first no one seems to care about this scruffy looking drifter that is until he practically takes over every stage he finds and wows audience after audience with his unique sound. It doesn't take long for Dylan to become a mega-superstar, gaining fans and pissing off others as he pleases.
A Complete Unknown sees Timothée Chalamet disappear into the role of Dylan. Under the fluffy hair, behind the harmonica, mannerisms and all, he is practically unrecognizable. It's a career best performance for Chalamet and a testament to Mangold's direction that despite showing Dylan's rise to fame and choices he made in order to stay on top, that by the end Bob Dylan, the man, remains just as mysterious as ever. This is one biopic that doesn't try to explain or shed light on the inner workings of the artist's genius, but one that chooses to let Dylan be Dylan, moving through life in a way that leaves everyone wondering how to tell fact from fiction. Who is Bob Dylan? You won't find an answer here, but you are likely to gain a new appreciation for one of the world's most unique talents.
Dylan is someone who has constantly reinvented himself over the years. That alone makes the act of portraying him accurately a monumental task. Add on to that his very specific mannerisms, tics, and voice and the actor chosen for this role most certainly would have his work cut out for him. Fortunately, Chalamet was up for it all, sidestepping the pitfall of merely doing an over-exaggerated impersonation, to embody the legend to the best of his ability. Chalamet does in fact sing, sounding remarkably close to Dylan's varying vocal stylings. But it is the way he inhabits him off stage that really shows the prep he did for the role. From his faraway glances to his stammers and his quirky way of moving in and out of places, Chalamet is Dylan, as much as anyone could be who is not in fact Dylan himself.
In the beginning of his career we watch as he makes his way to a hospital in order to perform a song for a bedridden Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) who was suffering from Huntington's disease. He manages to make it there, and not only performs “Song to Woody” for Guthrie but also his good friend, folk singer Pete Seeger (a syrupy sweet and wholesome Edward Norton). Both men are impressed, leading Seeger to help Dylan get his sound out there. Although Dylan tells Seeger he does not consider himself a “folk singer,” Mangold's script penned with Jay Cocks and Elijah Wald make it appear that Seeger either doesn't believe him or chooses to ignore it, leading to a clash down the road.
From there he catches the eye of Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), a folk superstar who was pivotal in helping him gain a wider audience. Their relationship is downplayed though but Barbaro is a force. There is also artist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a woman based on Suze Rotolo, the woman who is pictured with Dylan on the cover of “The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.” Fanning does what she can with her role as the muse (something Dylan has admitted to in real life) although she, like Barbaro, are forced to ground the dialogue and scenes which is the only way to let Dylan remain as free-spirited as ever.
One of the most fascinating things about this biopic is how Mangold doesn't shy away from the fact that Dylan, although talented and brilliant, was also a complete jerk to everyone who helped him along the way. His genius and enigmatic personality pushed people away, whether on purpose or unintentional Mangold doesn't really say nor does he pass judgement on Dylan for his behavior. Rather he presents it all as a fact, allowing the fans to come to their own conclusions. However, despite all this Dylan remained someone I could sympathize with, after all this was someone willing to destroy his career in order to keep from being shoved into a box built by those around him. I can respect that even if I think Joan and Sylvie deserved better.
Verdict
Mangold's A Complete Unknown is an entertaining and intriguing story about a man who is a shining example of a human chameleon. Timothée Chalamet gives an amazing, career best performance, embodying Dylan from the voice to the look, to his mannerisms and minute eccentricities. Thanks to Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning anchoring the story, Chalamet's Dylan is allowed to remain as free-spirited as ever. A Complete Unknown may gloss over certain aspects of Dylan's life but it certainly knows how to play the hits and that should satisfy any longtime fan.
A Complete Unknown is now playing in theaters. It is rated R for language with a runtime of 2 hours and 21 minutes.
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