So, picture this: It’s 1961, and a young guy from Minnesota shows up at the side of a legendary folk singer, Woody Guthrie, who’s not doing too great. This kid? He’s Robert Zimmerman. But nah, he’s calling himself Bob Dylan now. Woody and his buddy Pete Seeger hear him play and immediately know this dude is something special.

Dylan wastes no time diving into New York’s Greenwich Village scene. Quickly, he’s making a name for himself as a folk artist who mixes awesome music with themes that stick it to ‘the man.’ Along the way, Dylan starts dating someone named Sylvie Russo but then messes things up by getting involved with Joan Baez, another big deal in the folk world.

By 1965, Dylan shakes things up in a major way—he goes electric! Suddenly he’s jamming with a rock band instead of sticking to those political tunes he’s known for. The folks over in Greenwich Village aren’t happy; they think he sold out. But honestly? The rest of the world can’t get enough.

Trying to fully figure out Bob Dylan feels impossible sometimes. There’s so much tangled up between what’s real or imagined about him—the truth blends with myth and people totally idolize him. Instead of untangling all that messiness about Dylan’s life story, Mangold decides to just roll with how people saw him back then compared to now—but keeps it all fresh instead of going down the stuffy bio-film route.

In this film approach though? They put themselves right in your shoes: everyday folks trying their best not just portraying some distant legend but capturing why exactly everyone (back then AND today) can’t help but fall headfirst into everything “Dylan.”
Timothée Chalamet brings a fresh take on Bob Dylan in this unique movie focusing on Dylan’s early days as an ambitious folksinger with big ideas. The film dives into a particular part of his career, highlighting his mysterious and sometimes aloof personality. Chalamet captures Dylan’s youthful arrogance and the complexity behind iconic tracks like “Masters of War” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Instead of following the usual route of a straightforward biopic, director James Mangold chooses to put more emphasis on the music itself. It’s almost like you’re watching a musical, with Chalamet performing several songs from Dylan’s collection.

The storyline takes a bit of a backseat here, meaning some historical details are simplified or even mixed up—like when Johnny Cash appears at Newport, which didn’t actually happen.

And then there’s Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, who plays an almost father-like figure to Dylan. He sees Dylan’s potential to become something greater than himself but is still drawn to support him despite knowing he might be surpassed.

Female characters don’t get much attention in terms of development compared to others in the film, but they play their parts nonetheless. Overall, this movie isn’t your typical way of telling someone’s life story—it’s more about capturing a vibe, riding along through those unforgettable songs.
Monica Barbaro really shines when she belts out those Joan Baez-like songs—her voice is spot-on! But when it comes to delivering lines in those Dylan/Chalamet style scenes, she doesn’t quite hit the mark. I mean, you gotta expect a few hiccups in a project that’s shooting for the stars like this one. Despite some bumps along the way, A Complete Unknown manages to pull everything together and deliver something pretty cool overall.