Written by: James Mangold & Jay Cocks
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook
Rating: [2/5]
Finding intrigue in watching a biopic typically centers on either general interest in the central character or at least the work that made them famous. Each biopic will tap into an interest group for somebody, but unfortunately for A Complete Unknown, it sought to portray the life of someone whose work and career I have never cared about. Already at a disadvantage, this film does nothing to win me over due to its lack of any real fervor.
Making his way to New York City, Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) seeks to make it big in the world of folk music. After impressing a veteran of the genre, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), he begins to perform at the best venues and starts to make a name for himself. Unfortunately, he does not find satisfaction in the box they place him in as he seeks to break out and find his own voice, which begins to stir trouble.
Undoubtedly one of the more famous musicians of his generation, Bob Dylan and his work reached a stature where he deserves his own biopic. Casting Timothée Chalamet to portray him only further ups the ante for the potential of the film. The core of this story is displaying the work of an individual who spoke his mind and utilized music to further what he believed was a worthy cause. All elements that should make for an interesting film, but this movie spent far too much time on endless concerts with no energy to allow me to buy into Dylan as a near-mythical figure. Heck, at least showing him as a person of real substance outside of the descriptors others in the story attach to him.
My critique of these concerts, admittedly, stems from my general lack of excitement about listening to folk music. I can acknowledge its relevance and the intended power, but that type of music did not float my boat prior to this film, and what transpired did nothing to change my mind. Whether that’s a deficiency on my part or not, everything happening at these performances did nothing to muster anything other than a shrug. It also does not help that this movie as a whole feels like nothing other than these subpar concerts threaded together by lackluster dialogue and flat characters.
This lack of any real fervor, perhaps, was always the fate of this film, seeing that the man at the center of this story, Bob Dylan, actively rejected so much of what typically makes an artist intriguing. He marched to the beat of his own drum, but unfortunately, for the sake of a biopic, it’s not a particularly captivating one. When the issue that causes all of the anger towards Dyland centers on him choosing to innovate a bit and how that would impact the reputation of the Newport Folk Festival, it creates such low stakes. In a way, everything in this film came across as far too insular for someone who did not already enjoy this world and these individuals to really care about.
It also does not help that this film does nothing to either endear audiences towards Dylan or shed any real light about him. Coming away from this film, this man felt more like a symbol than an actual human being. By symbol, he specifically was just some mope who knew how to anger everyone around him at all times. It did help that Timothée Chalamet portrayed Dylan and at the very least brought some of what makes him a fascinating performer into this nothing of a role trying to define an icon. Everything about this film continually displays itself as something for those already in the bag for this man and music of that era but does not offer anything new for anyone on the outside to attach themselves to.
Completely hollow and a real chore to get through, A Complete Unknown resoundingly confirms my lack of interest in folk music and moved me from neutral about Bob Dylan to actively disliking the man. Not sure that was the biopic’s stated goal, but its blandness, from its concerts to characterizations, made this a complete nothing of a film. Even Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro could not save this film, and they were the only bright spots that spared it a lower score on my part.
Films with Josh 
