A Complete Unknown

The early years of the career of Bob Dylan are recreated in A Complete Unknown. In 1961, enigmatic folk singer Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) travels to New York to visit his hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who’s hospitalized with a degenerative illness. It is at the hospital where Bob meets Peter Seeger (Edward Norton), who helps Dylan get some gigs in the Greenwich Village basket houses, also frequented by Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). These early performances get Bob Dylan a recording contract with manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler).

Bob Dylan begins to find success through his second album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” which gains him a pen pal by none other than Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook). However, the success becomes a strain on Dylan’s relationship with his girlfriend Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), whom Bob has been cheating on with Joan Baez. In addition, Bob Dylan threatens to alienate his folk fan base when he begins to switch to a more electric rock sound.

A Complete Unknown Synopsis

A Complete Unknown is a biopic about the early years of Bob Dylan co-written and directed by James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), based on the 2016 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. Timothée Chalamet (Wonka) stars a Bob Dylan, which includes performing and singing his hit songs of the era, including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” A Complete Unknown co-stars Edward Norton as 1950s folk singer Pete Seeger, who was also one of the board members in charge of the Newport Folk Festival. Rounding out the cast of the film include Elle Fanning (Teen Spirit) as Bob Dylan’s girlfriend Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) as fellow folk singer, and sometimes lover, Joan Baez, and Boyd Holbrook (The Bikeriders) as Johnny Cash.

The film covers Bob Dylan’s career from its beginnings in 1961 to his infamous performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, in which he switched from being a solo acoustic folk performer to a fully electric rock star performing with a band. As per the film’s title, the plot is vague about Bob Dylan’s life before coming to New York, though he hints that he once worked for a carnival. Bob Dylan’s evolving sound becomes a point of contention for folk purists, including Peter Seeger, who would prefer Dylan to remain a man alone on stage with an acoustic guitar.

My Thoughts on A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown is the second narrative film about the career of Bob Dylan, arriving 17 years after Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There. While I’m Not There featured a semi-fictionalized narrative casting six actors, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Heath Ledger, as characters based on the different eras of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown is more of a straight-forward biopic, covering the first five years or so of Bob Dylan’s career, which has now been going on for more than six decades. The film is built around an excellent performance by Timothée Chalamet, who completely disappears into the character of Bob Dylan, progressing from performing solo acoustic sets in the Gaslight Tavern to becoming a sunglasses-wearing enigmatic rock star.

A Complete Unknown is a film that is cater-made for Bob Dylan’s fan base, as it features performances of Bob Dylan’s biggest songs from the era, all of which are actually performed by Timothée Chalamet. This includes a recreation of Bob Dylan’s infamous performance at the Newport Folk Festival, where he was greeted by boos for his electric performance, which included the public debut of one of his most famous songs “Like a Rolling Stone.” On their own, A Complete Unknown is a film that is worth seeing for the performances.

In some ways, Timothée Chalamet’s almost method performance as Bob Dylan overshadows the rest of the cast of the film. Edward Norton is quite uncharacteristic with his performance as Pete Seeger, who represents the old guard of folk singers and is portrayed as extremely optimistic to a fault. While Elle Fanning’s character, a fictionalized version of Bob Dylan’s real-life early girlfriend Suze Rotolo, becomes less important as the film progresses, she still gets shoehorned into the plot, even after the end of her relationship. Monica Barbaro fares slightly better as Joan Baez, who progresses from a collaborator and lover of Bob Dylan to becoming more of a rival. Then there’s Boyd Holbrook, who just seems to be having fun with his interpretation of Johnny Cash.

Whether or not you are a fan of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown sits alongside some of the better music biopics of recent years. The film features an excellent lead performance by Timothée Chalamet, who completely embodies the spirit and stage presence of Bob Dylan. Altogether, A Complete Unknown is a film that a definitely recommend.

Trailer for A Complete Unknown