Movie Review: ‘A Complete Unknown’

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Review by James Lindorf

Bob Dylan has had a decades-long relationship with movies. He has been a composer, actor, producer, director, and the subject of both documentaries and narrative films. James Mangold, who previously made a great movie about Johnny Cash, is returning to the 1960s and the early days of Bob Dylan’s career with Searchlight Pictures’ “A Complete Unknown” available everywhere on Christmas Day.

In 1961, the Folk Music revival was nearing its peak, a cultural movement that saw a resurgence of interest in traditional folk music, largely thanks to artists like Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and their willingness to be outspoken politically. It was also the year that, at the age of 19, Robert Allen Zimmerman dropped out of college and hitchhiked his way from Minnesota to New York to visit his musical idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) and begin his career as Bob Dylan. “A Complete Unknown” follows him from that bold decision to another one in 1965 that would send Folk Music into turmoil as its biggest star would go electric at the Newport Folk Festival.

During his time in Greenwich Village, when Dylan wasn’t forging intimate relationships with music icons, he was spending time with his girlfriend Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). Russo, inspired by Dylan’s real-life partner Susan Rotolo, greatly influenced his music during this period. As Sylvie Fanning makes the most apropos statement about Dylan and the movie at large. She states that when she returns from a summer program, she wants to get to know the real him. Instead of giving her what she asked for, Dylan would continue to use, ignore, and cheat on Sylvie until after a time jump, and she has to remind him that they broke up. Their relationship, while tumultuous, was of significant consequence to Dylan’s life and music, but Mangold believed we didn’t need those details or to see it end. It’s not like we would expect a breakup to influence a songwriter’s music. Just like Sylvie, anyone coming into “A Complete Unknown” hoping to learn more about Bob Dylan will be left wanting. It is bold of the movie to be willing to show him as an egotistical prick, but that only adds a second facet to his character, the other being musical genius.

“A Complete Unknown” is a visually captivating film with powerful acting. Barbaro’s portrayal of Baez is compelling, and Chalamet’s performance as Dylan is striking. However, it is Edward Norton’s depiction of Seeger that truly shines in the film. All three actors could easily be contenders for lead or supporting actor awards. Norton’s portrayal of Seeger, a complex character who is a great friend, husband, and ambassador for music, particularly Folk, is a standout. The most intense moments in the film are those that show his struggle to support Bob in his musical journey while also wanting to preserve the integrity of Folk music.

“A Complete Unknown” is a complete miss if you were hoping for an insightful examination of its enigmatic subject. It offers excellent musicianship and acting performances in its place. While it entertains for most of its 141-minute runtime, it also feels hollow and pointless, resulting in a 2.5 out of 5 score.

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Rating: R (Language)
Director: James Mangold
Producer: Fred Berger, Bob Bookman, Timothée Chalamet, Alan Gasmer, Alex Heineman, Peter Jaysen, James Mangold, Jeff Rosen
Screenwriter: James Mangold, Jay Cocks
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Searchlight Pictures, The Picture Company, Veritas Entertainment Group, Turnpike Films, Automatik Entertainment
Release Date (Theaters): December 25th, 2024
Runtime: 2h 21m