Timothée Chalamet’s star continues to rise in A Complete Unknown

I’ll be honest, I only went to see A Complete Unknown, a film about Bob Dylan, because awards season is quickly approaching and I try to see the films that will be getting nominations. This film is getting buzz for Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Dylan, so even though I’m not a fan of Dylan’s music (I know the hits, like everyone, but that’s about it), I wanted to see if the movie was any good. I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie starts in 1960 as a 19-year-old Bobbie Dylan heads to NY to make it as a singer/songwriter. Before he does anything, even before he finds a place to stay, he goes to the hospital where Woody Guthrie is recovering from an illness. Guthrie is the young Dylan’s idol, and he wants to pay his respects, but the visit is fortuitous, as Guthrie is also being visited by Pete Seeger. Seeger encourages Dylan to play a song for Guthrie, and immediately recognizes the talent. He offers Dylan a spot on his couch until he can get settled, and so starts Dylan’s life in NY.

Dylan takes the local music scene by storm, and catches the eye of fellow musicians (like Joan Baez and Johnny Cash) and a manager (Albert Grossman). Over just a couple years, he becomes a household name in the folk music scene, headlining shows and the yearly folk music festival in Newport. A bit surly, he isn’t always a hit with everyone. After a brief romantic fling with Baez, and writing a few songs that she covers and that they perform together as duets, they have a falling out, to the point that Dylan walks off stage in the middle of a performance together one evening. Always against having his music labeled as “folk music” since he listens to a bunch of genres and finds inspiration everywhere, Dylan starts branching out to electric instruments for a new upcoming album, and immediately gets pushback from his record label and Seeger too, who helps organize the Newport festival every year. Never one to just do something to please somebody, Dylan goes on stage to perform the music that he wants to, no matter the consequences. The movie ends around 1965, so only shows that 5 year-ish window from Dylan starting in NY to his transition to more of an electric sound.

Chalamet is indeed fantastic in this film and deserves all the praise coming his way. He literally becomes Bob Dylan on screen, with the voice, movements, and way of walking/carrying himself down to a T. On top of that though, it’s a legitimately engaging and entertaining film. As I said, I know nothing about Bob Dylan, so I have no idea how much of this movie is factual, but from an entertainment standpoint, it doesn’t matter to me. I had a good time, and it’s one of those films with a high re-watchable factor. ★★★★½