- A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
- Starring: Timotee Chalamet, Elle Fanning and Edward Norton
- Directed by: James Mangold
- Rated: R
- Running time: 2 hrs 21 mins
- Searchlight
Our score: 5 out of 5
If I just wrote the superlatives that have been used to describe the music of Bob Dylan for the past five decades this review would be 1,000 words long. So let me just throw out a few. Genius. America’s troubadour. And, my favorite, the greatest artist, in any medium, of all time. With multiple Grammy awards, an Oscar and, oh yeah, both a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize, there isn’t much he hasn’t done. But how did young Robert Zimmerman from Hibbings, Minnesota, become Bob Dylan? “A Complete Unknown” fills in the blanks.
New York City. 1961. A young man wanders the streets of Greenwich Village, intent to visit his idol, the great folk musician Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) who is currently in the hospital. He finagles his way to Guthrie’s room, where he also meets another of his heroes, Pete Seeger (Norton). With the support of these two men, the world will soon meet, as Joan Baez called him, “the unwashed phenomenon, the original vagabond.” Say hello to Bob Dylan.
It has to be extremely difficult to make a film about a performer that the entire world knows. Rami Malek in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Jamie Foxx in “Ray” and both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line” – also brilliantly directed by James Mangold – hit all of the right notes with both fans and critics. As quite possibly the best film of the year, “A Complete Unknown” most definitely deserves a slot on that short list.
The film’s casting is spot on. Chalamet, who not only embodies Dylan in speech patterns and mannerisms but does his own singing, channels the rebellious energy that made Dylan a folk hero. As I told the studio rep after the screening, “give that kid the Oscar now.” And Chalamet is surrounded by an amazing cast, led by Norton. When we first meet Pete Seeger he is fighting for his freedom in court, having to address the backlash from his song, “This Land is Your Land.” Fanning stars as Sylvie Russo, Bob’s on and off again girlfriend based, I’m sure, on Dylan’s friend Suze Rotello, who is featured with Dylan on the cover of his album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” We are also introduced to other great musicians of the era, including a performer my high school Spanish teacher, Mr. Guggino, used to refer to as JO-ANN BAZE, Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook). All of the actors do amazing work, especially capturing the vocal qualities that made their characters stars.
Mangold’s direction is straight ahead and on point, and there isn’t a wasted frame of film on screen. But it’s the music that fans will be going for, and they will not be disappointed. With so many great songs over fifty years, it’s had to remember all of the songs Dylan wrote that either he performed or that he gave to others. But they were ahead of their time then and remain beloved now.
On a scale of zero to five, I give “A Complete Unknown” ★★★★★
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