Released in December 2024, A Complete Unknown was nominated for eight Oscars and received…none of them. This result came as a shock to fans, who suspected a large win for the film following Chalamet’s extensive Oscar campaign; Chalamet made several appearances on SNL, ESPN, 60 Seconds, and other media outlets to garner attention for ‘A Complete Unknown’. Despite its disappointing performance, ‘A Complete Unknown’ scored 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a staggering $138 million at the box office. As someone previously unfamiliar with the movie and lacking in opinion on Timotheé Chalamet as an actor (an uncommon occurrence today), I wanted to review the film and see the source of its recent hype. Unfortunately, I came out of the experience largely disappointed.
Similarly to its vague, indefinite title, A Complete Unknown lacks a definitive, cohesive plot. Directed by James Mangold, A Complete
Unknown is a very predictable biopic. Its purpose is to seemingly show the enigmatic nature of Bob Dylan and the destruction of many of his closest relationships as he achieves stardom, none of which are fleshed out or relevant when not with Dylan; this could be a commentary on how he valued his romantic relationships and friendships in comparison to his increasing fame, though this could have been achieved by expanding on other characters instead of alienating Dylan from his biopic only to attempt to make the audience sympathize with him at the end.
The movie begins with Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) hitchhiking to New York City, the center of the current folk movement sweeping the United States in the early 1960s. Dylan rarely references his childhood and tells the same narrative that he worked as a carny in a traveling carnival. Researching Dylan’s past, it’s clear that this is a fabrication and that he instead came from a middle-class Jewish family in Hibbing, Minnesota. Instead of expanding on this tall tale, James Mangold, the director of A Complete Unknown, leaves loose ends: Why did Dylan lie about being a carny amid his blossoming career? What about his story contributes to his enigmatic persona? The answers to these questions are never fully answered, and the only acknowledgment of Dylan’s web of lies is when he is fighting with Sylvie (Elle Fanning), his long-term, on-and-off girlfriend; this scene may be one of the most important of the entire film, simply because the characters are actually speaking.
As the film wears on, Mangold focuses on the complexities of Dylan’s musical career, showcasing the inner turmoil he experienced. Nearing the end, Dylan yearns to stray from traditional folk but is ultimately punished by his fan base during an underwhelming scene at the Newport Folk Festival.
On the topic of performances, Chalamet’s musical impersonation of Dylan was impressive, though his dialogue was less so as he slurs his words and elicits the same occasional, garbled chuckle and leaves a lot to be desired. There isn’t much to be said about the dialogue in general throughout the movie, as previously mentioned; the film gave the impression of being more of a prolonged music video than a full-fledged biopic. The only character that could be borderline interesting, besides Woody Guthrie (Edward Norton), due to the inherent heartbreak of his being at the Greystone Psychiatric Hospital, is Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). Barbaro’s crystalline vocals shine in the monotony of midwestern mumbling; her radiant talent is evident from her first performance of “House of the Rising Sun” and continues to be as she performs duets with Chalamet. Alternatively, Sylvie has little to no character development and only exists to cry off-stage at the palpable romantic tension between Dylan and Baez as they perform together, especially at the Newport Folk Festival.
Overall, while A Complete Unknown boasts an impressive cast, with the headliner being Timotheé Chalamet, and immerses the audience in the folk sphere of mid-60s America, the plot’s pacing and shallow characters leave the audience wanting more.
Without the name Chalamet being attached to the biopic, a lot of the hype leading to its eight Oscar nominations wouldn’t have existed since A Complete Unknown would have only attracted die-hard Bob Dylan fans and an overall older audience.
Did Chalamet accurately depict Dylan’s mystique? Do you believe that the film lived up to the hype? See for yourself and watch A Complete Unknown, as it is now available on Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV, and even YouTube.
