A Complete Unknown (2024) is directed by James Mangold and stars Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton, Joe Tippett, Eriko Hatsume, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, David Alan Basche, Norbert Leo Butz, Boyd Holbrook, P.J. Byrne, and Charlie Tahan. The film begins in 1961 with a 19-year-old Bob Dylan as he travels from a small town in northern Minnesota all the way to the bustling streets of New York City in order to meet his musical hero, folk legend Woody Guthrie (McNairy). This puts Bob in contact with Pete Seeger (Norton), another famous folk musician who takes Bob under his wing. Bouncing around from stage to stage, Bob soon begins a romantic relationship with a local painter, Sylvie Russo (Fanning). After Bob’s popularity rises to heights he never expected, he falls head-over-heels for Joan Baez, another famous folk musician who inspires him to record original songs. When the world begins to see him as some kind of modern folk hero after the release of his second studio album, Bob struggles to adjust to his newfound fame. After Bob finds himself sick of folk music on the verge of his 4th album, he controversially decides to record with electric instruments. This decision eventually culminates in the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where Bob faces intense scrutiny from a folk community that once considered him their golden goose. 

Chalamet’s performance as a young Bobby D is everything a diehard Dylan fan like me could’ve hoped for. Physically, he feels born to play this role. He nails Dylan’s frail, mouse-like stature, but more importantly, mimics his otherworldly idiolect in a way that never feels forced. Like most biopics, especially ones where the lead actor sings, the songs sound a bit off. However, because Dylan isn’t particularly known for his singing voice (in fact, it’s his most common criticism), Chalamet has room to take more liberties with his interpretation.

Elle Fanning’s character is nothing particularly new – especially in the music biopic genre. She’s essentially just the typical estranged spouse/girlfriend who finds their life negatively upended by their significant other’s newfound fame. Thankfully, the character works because, unlike so many other films of this kind, she’s given a proper arc. In other words, she feels like a fully formed individual as opposed to a character who exists simply to advance Bob’s story. She also feels necessary in the sense that she’s seemingly the only person who cares about who Bob truly is. If only she knew that never being the same person IS Bob Dylan. 

Monica Barbaro is also great as the legendary Joan Baez – Dylan’s romantic muse who acts as a sort of creative rival. Although Barbaro’s voice sounds just like Baez’s, the character ultimately works because she’s written to have clear motivations/desires that run parallel to Dylan’s as opposed to in service of them. Along with showing how Joan and Sylvie’s behavior and/or decisions affect Bob, we also see how Bob’s behavior affects them. 

Although the supporting cast features a handful of strong portrayals that include Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman, the standout is easily Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. His soft-spoken midwestern accent and fatherly physical mannerisms make the character disarmingly entertaining. Once again, although the performance is great, the character ultimately works because of how well he’s written. It’s a tough task, but the film succeeds in writing Pete as a meaningful antagonist to Dylan without making him even slightly mean-hearted. In fact, he’s a much friendlier person than Dylan in almost every measurable way. The only thing that makes Pete an antagonist is the fact that he and Bob have different opinions. Instead of a clear hero and villain, it’s a clash between two people with morals that are more or less equal. It may not be very “cinematic” for a film to lack a true villain, but it does a lot to support a feeling of authenticity. In the real world, villainy is often just a matter of perspective. 

     The film naturally features a long list of Dylan’s best songs and there’s rarely more than a 5 minute stretch when one isn’t playing. Although this will inevitably be a chore for people uninterested in Dylan’s music, cutting down on the frequency of songs would only lessen the experience for its target audience. Although there wasn’t a single sequence I disliked, there are admittedly far too many cliche close-ups of various characters big and small who are on the verge of tears after hearing Bob play a song they’ve most certainly already heard on multiple occasions.

I’ve been hearing that many critics have taken issue with the fact that the film doesn’t help the viewer to better understand who Dylan is and how he thinks. The thing is, that’s the point. For many fans, this mysterious nature is exactly why he’s so compelling. Instead of having a clear message/meaning, a majority of his songs are lyrically convoluted and designed for the individual to come up with their own ideas relating to what it all means. 

Overall, this is easily one of my favorite films of 2024 and is for the most part exactly what I wanted as a diehard Bob Dylan fan. Mangold directs with a sure hand and faithfully recreates a version 1960’s Greenwich Village that feels entirely authentic. Timothee sinks completely into the role of Dylan and for the umpteenth time proves that he is by and far the best actor of his generation. Although certain liberties taken to make the film less plain might irk  Dylan historians, it ultimately gets the most important thing right: his mysteriously bittersweet outlook on the world. He’s either eternally pissed off, starved, or just one of the best trolls to ever live – I can’t tell. Whether you’re an established fan or someone who just wants to know more, this Bob Dylan fan thinks you should check it out. B+