Living up to the legend that is Bob Dylan is no easy task. He is an Academy Award winner, a ten-time Grammy Award winner, and a Golden Globe Award nominee. In 1997, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Dylan sold tens of millions of albums, wrote more than 500 songs, performed worldwide, and set the standard for lyric writing. Dylan was also awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature; however, to no one’s surprise, he did not attend the ceremony. Due to his lyrical brilliance, artistic integrity, and musical innovation, he is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His work not only affects the people of his time but his legacy continues to resonate with society today. 

When I heard a couple of months ago that Timothée Chalamet was going to play Bob Dylan in a Biopic I was unsure how it was going to turn out. I don’t consider myself a Chalamet hater, but come on, it is impossible for someone to have the Bob Dylan aura except for the big man himself. So going into the movie I was prepared to not like it. However, it is safe to say that there was no better person for the role. Chalamet did an amazing job playing a young Bob Dylan, not only in his mannerisms but in his performances as well. 

Directed by James Mangold, the movie takes place over an eventful four years, ending with him shocking the 1965 Newport Folk Festival by going electric, an iconic music event. The movie starts with the college dropout Bobby Dylan appearing in coffee shops and clubs in New York in 1961. With only a guitar and a dream Bobby Dylan visits Woodie Guthrie in the hospital and sings to him, Pete Seeger played by Edward Norton is impressed by his abilities and becomes somewhat of a mentor for Dylan. The movie takes us through four wild years where Dylan becomes the face of folk and protest music. A Complete Unknown” is based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 nonfiction page-turner “Dylan Goes Electric!” also known as “Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties.”

The movie portrays Dylan as a mysterious and unreadable kind of guy to not only the audience, but also characters like Seeger, and his romantic interests, Joan Baez played by Monica Barbaro, and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo. Dylan’s girlfriend’s name in real life was Suze Rotolo but was changed as requested by Bob Dylan Himself. The two both struggle to understand the “complete unknown” is Dylan himself in his relationships. There is a beautiful scene where Dylan and his “girlfriend” Joan Baez sing “Blowing In The Wind” together. Monica Barbaro performed her own songs too and portrayed Joan Baez’s voice perfectly. After watching the movie I started doing a deep dive on Joan Baez. Much of the movie discusses the opposition between Sylvie Russo, against the brunette sensation Joan Baez. The movie blurs with years and events, (the Cuban missile crisis, the civil rights movement).  A Complete Unknown moves from Dylan’s arrival and early club performances to his sudden rise of fame.

Ed Norton was probably the best actor amongst the group, his portrayal of Pete Seeger was scarily accurate. I did not know much about Seefer going into the movie, but after doing some research I can confidently say Ed Norton did a phenomenal job playing the part. Norton was able to show all sides of Seeger, the kind-hearted side, but also the jealous rival, and the good friend side. Norton also performed his own songs, and he even had to learn how to play the banjo to be Pete Seeger.

“A Complete Unknown” is beautifully shot, with very close attention paid to the tiniest of details. Some of my favorite scenes include the performance on the Washington Mall before Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the scene where Russo looks in realization from the wings as Baez performs onstage with a love-struck Dylan singing “It Ain’t Me, Babe.” The most climactic scene in the film is the Newport Folk Festival 1965. Dylan sings three songs which happen to be my favorites: “Maggie’s Farm,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and, my all-time favorite, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” The crowd is very disappointed in Dylan’s un-folklike performance. The scene is very powerful though because it shows that Dylan is a “complete unknown” to everyone. 

The “Bob Dylan Aura” can be seen till the very end of the movie. When we see Dylan ride off into the sunset on his motorcycle, literally and figuratively saying goodbye to his folk past and entering a new era. (“Highway 61 Revisited”) A year later Dylan gets into an accident on the very same motorcycle that almost kills him, and it causes him to completely vanish from the public eye. Even today, Bob Dylan is rarely seen in public, he chose to not participate in the creation of the Biopic. 

Timothée Chalamet sang and played guitar on 40 songs that appeared in the film. I believe that this movie was a game-changer for his career and set him apart from other actors. Chalamet has never been in a life-changing movie, even in his dark moments in the “Dune” series. This film came out on Christmas, a week before Oscar nominations closed. It is safe to say that Timothée Chlamets portrayal of Bob Dylan will be winning many awards.