Biopics of legendary musicians have become all the rage in multiplexes post-Bohemian Rhapsody, Hollywood is a copycat town after all. Director James Mangold has crafted one following the rise of folk music legend Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet). His film follows Dylan at a pivotal time in his career and the history of folk music however that serves also serves as a defacto critique of the creative environment that has made this film possible in the first place.
Structurally, A Complete Unknown is formulated as your typical musician’s biopic. We first meet Dylan as a starry-eyed aspiring songwriter and performer, traversing the tri-state area in an attempt to meet his musical hero, an ailing Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). From there, someone takes a liking to Dylan and helps him in getting his start in the music business, in this case folk legend Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). As Dylan ascends and reaches fame and fortune, he drifts away from his faithful girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning) and cheats on her with admirers and one consistent mistress, who happens to be fellow young folk phenom and eventual legend Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). Eventually the pressures of being famous and successful start to get to Dylan and he slowly starts to fall apart. It makes for a predictable film that largely feels by-the-numbers and ordinary. Still, this won’t be a review completely panning the film because it does have some key elements that make it a worthwhile watch even if it doesn’t completely elevate past its rote narrative and script outline.
What makes A Complete Unknown interesting thematically is its exploration of Dylan’s psyche post-fame as a creative. His downward spiral as depicted in the film is as expected in a biopic as outlined above, but the reason for it isn’t drugs or partying as is typical, but instead due to the conflict between an artist seeking to continually innovate versus an industry and audience that wants him to just keep playing the hits, so to speak; stay within the familiar and just give the people what they want and expect. It’s an interesting tact for the film to take considering both the current state of the film industry and the recent experience of the film’s director. Mangold is coming off of an abject disaster after helming the latest Indiana Jones film, a blockbuster which lost nine figures for the studio that has defined assembly line blockbuster filmmaking over the past decade, Walt Disney. Mangold has expressed hurt at its failure and the reaction of fans and critics, wondering if anything could have possibly satisfied them.
The exploration of Dylan’s experience in trying to satisfy his creative urges as the audience sought to punish him for not playing to their expectations and the resulting strain on his professional relationships, reputation, and friendship with Pete, as well as his ultimate decision to stick to his guns and push the folk genre forward despite their reactions is interesting when juxtaposed to Mangold’s Indiana Jones experience and this era of entertainment where big creative swings are often punished and recycled nostalgia is relied upon for guaranteed financial success. A Complete Unknown is attempting to remind not only audiences, but todays creatives, that art is often only pushed forward by artists that lead audiences and industries into unknown territory that they didn’t know they wanted to visit until they are taken there. As Hollywood wrestles with dwindling movie theater attendance looking to past experiences like Dylan’s switch to an electric guitar and the resulting success of Highway 61 Revisited serve as a reminder of what is possible when big artistic risks are taken.
The second standout element of this film is the performance of its lead, Timothee Chalamet. Embarking upon a biopic is always a tall task in balancing impersonation and accurate depiction and Chalamet is able to thread that needle perfectly with his portrayal of a young Dylan. What shines through in particular is his ability to nail folk legend’s distinctive singing voice, somehow getting that even more correct than his speaking voice; a testament to the five years he reportedly spent prepping for it. Chalamet is believable as a gifted musician and capably performs the emotional tumult Dylan has adjusting to fame and the constraints on his creativity that result from his success. His performance is the other half that carries the film and makes it interesting. A Complete Unknown is what you’d expect from a biopic largely, but Chalamet’s performance and its critique, and defense of, creativity makes it a little more catchy than the same ol tunes we’ve become accustomed to.
Image: Searchlight Pictures
