Musical biopics haven’t appealed to me in recent years, since I found Rocketman unnecessarily dour. I have foregone movies on Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, and Amy Winehouse, and I’ve pushed that new CGI ape-scapade, starring Robbie Williams, back, to catch up on later in the year, as a smaller priority. Even after enjoying Bohemian Rapsody and Elvis, I consider Walk the Line to be my favourite musical biopic, and I doubt anything can be better. I would even recommend Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the satirical spoof, that succeeds at being funny, and also skewering the entire genre. But I may’ve come to see A Complete Unknown even without the Oscar nominations, simply because Chalamet is in it. And even though I’m not a teenage girl with a crush, I still think I know a good thing when I sees it 🥰 Also, A Complete Unknown is headed by James Mangold, who directed Walk the Line, so how do you like that?!
Arriving in New York City with nothing but a guitar case and a corduroy cap, an unknown Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) searches to meet his idol, and winds up striking a divine relationship with mentor Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), as well. From there, Bob will stay with Pete, while the magic of his songwriting soon becomes a glimmering light for the folk community, preaching peace and revolution, with Dylan’s lyrics not only touching on universals, but the hostile times amidst the Cold War and Vietnam. Dylan meets the wholesome Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), but is also taken by Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), as he writes songs to share with her, and perform. Before long, Dylan’s star shines brighter than even he can handle, behind black shades commonly affixed to his face 😎
It’s nice to see a movie touch on the heroes of heroes too, and I feel like we usually see the subject’s struggle, or how effortlessly revolutionary they were, without influences. The scene where Dylan first plays in front of Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), and Seeger, is a really uplifting scene that stands out to me, even among an otherwise fantastic movie. Every second Dylan performance filled me with warmth, reminding me of Yesterday, with how those Beatles covers were purposely spotlighted, commanding the moment. Which is what you want, because otherwise you’re just waiting for those musical numbers to end, and the movie would contain a lot of lulls. But then, I was personally most joyed by this movie when the love triangle is in play. I like how, in both pairings, these relationships sort of fall into each other – there’s the chance meeting, and movie date with Sylvie, and the potentially apocalyptic event frazzling everyone into sex and comfort, that urges Joan and Dylan to begin. I really feel like the nature of this love triangle presented, goes in hand with Dylan’s ingenuity, in that both seem spectacularly fueled by whim. The “moment” seems to be the feeling that permeates the air with Dylan, and this movie encapsulates it perfectly – with later, Dylan’s career aiming to escape any prehistoric planning or categorization. I thought it was curious how Sylvie would cry, twice, while Bobby was playing – I think I understand how she must’ve been feeling, how she felt she couldn’t compete in this musical world, but only intellectually.
After Dylan gets famous, it makes the movie slow down. But, ah, I then think that’s the movie’s point, and certainly Dylan is weighed down by the rudimentary parties and expectations of people who think they know him. I suppose it’s something that all artists might go through. You want to be heard, but then you’re heard too much, labelled, and unheard again. And I’ve had this conversation with my father before – he once said he went to see a beloved artist in concert, but was dismayed by the artist changing his songs around, to play them in a different style. I can’t blame an artist for doing that, since they must get so tired of playing the same songs the same way night after night, so you can afford them a little further creativity. Live music in no way appeals to me in the same way that movies do, but movies are more like CDs than live music anyway, as a finished product to be experiences the exact same way whenever. And if a director tours cities accompanying their movies, it’s not like they have to perform them again and again with effort.
Elle Fanning is either the most elegant classic girl in existence or a complete ditz 😵 And she’s probably both, most accurately, rolled into one. She’s a little like Taylor Swift in that respect, in my mind, although a more extreme case of polarization. But anyway, as an actress, and personal attacks aside, I’ve always liked how she tries different things – I’ve admired her most in projects like The Neon Demon, while the comedic clips that go around of her in The Great are wildly different. Here, while Monica Barbaro has come away with the Academy Award nomination, my attention was utterly and completely drawn to Fanning’s gentility anytime she is on screen. She is perfectly cast, fills the role to a tee, and it’s probably the harder role to get right – because, sure, Barbaro has to sing, but Sylvie could be an annoying bemoaning plain jane, we can’t wait for Bob to turn his back on. But because of Fanning’s performance, Sylvie isn’t, and the love triangle is balance ⚖ Conversely, Barbaro is certainly beautiful, and attentive, but I surely do hope it is she who is singing, because I’ve burnt by lip-sync-ers before (The Greatest Showman 🙄) Overall, I think Barbaro’s performance suffers mostly for me being unfamiliar with her until now, and this is all I have to base her on, while I know how Fanning can stretch and transform elsewhere.
But this movie’s performances are really exemplary across the board, and elevate the content extensively. Similarly to Fanning’s commitment, I’m so used to seeing Edward Norton as THE guy, but his role here is often used just to make Chalamet look good, with revered looks in Bob Dylan’s direction. And in doing so, it’s just great to be reminded of how wonderful Edward Norton can be. Maybe he was always meant to be a better Scotty Pippin than he was a Micheal Jordan – maybe he’s better served as a number two, more than the main guy. Norton turns in tremendous work, along with our man of the hour – Timothée Chalamet 🙌 What a run for this guy! Willy Wonka, Paul Atreides, Bob Dylan, and profound parts before that, most notably in Little Women and Call Me By Your Name. If not now for Oscar glory, then when? This movie is not all encompassing, relying solely on Chalamet to make it work, for nearly every component is working alone; but Chalamet is the rudder, to be captivating, to be mysterious, and provide us insight into why Bob Dylan was so revolutionary. It makes me happy to learn that there’s another face I’d be happy to see lifting up that gold trophy on that upcoming faithful night, and Chalamet is well in with a chance 🥇 I also thought Dan Fogler was great, on top of this.
A Complete Unknown is somewhat like Walk the Line, going in deep on what Dylan was about; combined with the best parts of Almost Famous, touching on what it’s like to be a musician. I think this Bob Dylan personification is also what Austin Butler’s character was supposed to be in The Bikeriders, but here, that wildness is informed by the zest for songwriting, that gives us a more colourful insight into his mind’s eye. I have left A Complete Unknown feeling inspired, and I’m so thankful, because I don’t feel like we get much manly or thoughtful music like this anymore; I’m certainly not taken by the candy pop of BTS, for example, while I do like pop music (Aqua and Backstreet Boys), but they’re not nourishingly outward-facing as this reimagined world of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan once were, and forever will be. I guess, in the modern day, we do have Taylor Swift, whom I also really admire, and is a global megastar (and that’s my second Taylor Swift reference of the piece – can I go for three?!). I had heard of Dylan outraging a festival with an electric guitar, but it’d fallen down the creases of my mind; and still, it’s poignant to see the point he is making, about living forward instead of backwards, projected right in front of you as a very combustible idea. And you know, A Complete Unknown has also got me thinking how in 30 years, there will be biopics made of modern artists, who pushed the envelope and were first met with backlash too. Who knows, maybe Sam Smith in his fat devil costume at the Grammys could be the grand finale of a movie, coming soon to a neuro-link near you in 2055 😫🙃 But A Complete Unknown is an experience! It’s an experience to behold. It’s invigorating, and it’s always a wonder to hear the songs you thought you knew, put into a context that gives them new purpose in your mind – whether it be the original context or otherwise. Don’t mind me, I’ll be listening to Dylan for the next few months – intertwined with Taylor Swift, of course (Ah ha! Got it! Hat-trick! 😄)
5.0
P.S. I may’ve bagged Oppenheimer for how it weaved in Robert Oppenheimer’s famous quote about being the “destroyer of worlds”, by having Florence Pugh flip to a random page in a book during sex – wasn’t very congruent. But Dylan’s quote about having a thousand children, as he’s purchasing his kazoo, is natural, and goes to his wit. Bravo.
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