James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, brings together powerful performances to deliver a movie that’s a bit like the man himself; meandering but still compelling.
A Complete Unknown
Directed By: James Mangold
Written By: James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Dan Fogler
Release Date: December 25, 2024
A Complete Unknown is a tough movie to pin down. Obviously it follows the early life of iconic singer/songwriter, Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet), as he goes from a 19-year-old nobody to one of the most influential musicians around. We experience various events through the lens of his nonchalant, almost punk/rebel, attitude while he traverses the world of fame and folk music before changing it forever.
In a lot of ways it feels unsure of what it actually wants to be, and yet it follows certain beats you come to expect from these kind of musical biopics. The film hits a number of highs and lows in the musician’s early career, though doesn’t linger on any one of them. There are hints of a narrative throughout, but nothing so specific as we see in other biopics of this sort.
Much of this boils down to the structure of the movie itself, as it unfolds largely in a ‘slice-of-life’ style. Don’t get me wrong, the way it plays out on the screen is impressive. We get numerous time jumps (in which big chunks of the “story” are skipped over, yet it never feels janky or confusing.
I’ll give a quick example of one of the earliest moments (no spoilers here), where we see Dylan playing in a local bar and Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) slinks over to a record producer to casually mention, “that’s my client.” The pair haven’t actually met at this point, but the scene then cuts to Dylan heading into the recording studio for the first time, with Albert guiding him through the process.
Despite never seeing them interact, we can infer Albert was so impressed with Dylan’s performance, he signed him on as a client and get him set up for getting started on a professional level. The buttressing scenes give you enough context to understand the events that happen in between, and the film uses this type of transition for pretty much every jump forward.
The result is a film with a natural/fluid flow, able to jump through time periods and life milestones without having to slow down for big drops of exposition. It’s a clever bit of visual storytelling so deftly handled as to be virtually seamless. When you combine that with the film’s stellar performances, it almost impossible to not be engrossed while watching.
And make no mistake, the acting is undeniably impressive. Chalamet is Bob Dylan in this film. I never once felt like I was simply watching someone portraying the musician, but rather looking back in the past to see him as he was. Nobody is slouching in this film, and everyone turns in something amazing, regardless of the role’s overall size; making each interaction feel gripping and believable.
Which makes some of the film’s shortcomings feel all the more frustrating. Its adherence to “showing versus telling,” while engaging, pretty much ensures the film doesn’t have much to say regarding Bob Dylan himself. Whether through a quirk of style or intentional choice, A Complete Unknown is entirely disinterested in examining any sort of consequences (good or bad) of Dylan’s actions throughout.
Ironically, for all A Complete Unknown has to say about Dylan’s desire for “freedom” to be himself—or not be confined to others’ expectations—the film itself only presents one side of musician. Positioning him as the punk/rebel disruptor; the man who can’t be tamed.
There’s a fun moment early on when Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), frankly tells Dylan, “You’re kind of an asshole.” And it’s true! That sums him up pretty well, and sets the tone for pretty much all of his encounters going forward. This “don’t give a shit” attitude has a clear impact on his work and the disposable way he treats the women in his life…But the film isn’t concerned with showing any of it. Instead, it just moves along to the next segment of his life.
This makes the film feel a bit listless; as confused on where it’s heading as much as it’s lead character. It’s riveting to watch, however. I’ve never been huge on biopics (especially ones dealing with the music industry), but I was invested on all levels. Laughing, crying, and rooting for him; even as I wasn’t sure what he wanted to accomplish.
After the credits rolled, however, there doesn’t feel like much to think about or ponder. Without offering anything new about the singer’s past, or even forming it’s own comments on certain actions, the overall experience is shallower than I’d hoped.
