In an era of political turmoil, Director James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown”—a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet—arrived at a pivotal moment. The film served as a timely reminder of how the American music icon and Nobel Prize laureate rose from humble beginnings to become a revolutionary figure in both music and social activism.
This movie, spotlighting the incomparable Dylan, could not have come at a more apropos time, with its Christmas Day release a little more than a month after President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. According to Forbes, the Dylan biopic, which cost $60-75 million to make, earned a solid $105 million over its two-month run in global movie theaters. Additionally, it is certified “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 81% critics score.
“A Complete Unknown” spotlighted Dylan’s ascent from his initial arrival to New York City to the bold move he later made to modernize traditional folk music by mixing it with rock and roll elements. Mangold’s film touched on the unique talent’s ups and downs, the friendships and romantic partners he had along the way and ultimately the legacy that Dylan created in the folk genre and overall discography of American music.
Before watching this movie, I only knew bits and pieces about Dylan, mostly from listening to my mom talk about how much she loves his songs and playing some of his classics such as “The Times They Are a-Changin” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”. I knew he was a bit of an odd-ball and the few times I heard him sing, I found his tone a bit bizarre. So, I walked into the movie open to learning more about this hugely influential singer, songwriter and poet.
In addition to Mangold’s pristine directing, one thing that stood out was the fact that the lead cast in this film learned to sing and play instruments to accurately portray their characters. Not only that, but they flawlessly performed the musical numbers live. This is remarkable because none of the main cast had ever sung or played an instrument in a movie before except for Chalemet who starred as Willy Wonka in the movie “Wonka”.
Chalamet delivered an incredible performance. The extremely talented and popular actor earned well-deserved Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for nailing Dylan’s look, sound and mannerisms; and his peers honored him with the SAG award for lead actor. Chalamet unsurprisingly stole the show as the main character. However, his co-stars Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro and Boyd Holbrook, also delivered stellar performances, respectively playing Dylan’s friends and fellow 1960s music icons Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash.
For the most part, this movie stuck to history regarding names of people and places that played a role in the protagonist’s rise to global superstardom. One small adjustment production made was to change the name of Dylan’s on-again, off-again girlfriend from Suze to Sylvia.
Although Dylan’s music remains influential, the man and his unique gift has largely been forgotten particularly by younger generations. While he may not be performing anymore given his old age, his songs, the meanings behind them and the way that Dylan stood up for major societal issues of his time, all still apply to this era. In fact, problems of the 60s and 70s, like racial tension and radical violence, remain societal threats today.
Retired learning specialist Joni Mahler, who grew up exposed to Dylan’s music, was deeply moved by this movie.
“I really liked the movie…it seems innocent now that people actually believed ‘the times they were a changin,’” Mahler said. “Actually things did change, but what we did not know is that change does not necessarily last…I loved hearing the music. It is familiar in my bones in such a deep way. I liked having a visual image of how the songs were written.”
Ultimately, “A Complete Unknown” provided nostalgic insight into Dylan’s early days while re-introducing and further educating people like myself who may lack understanding of the cultural value that Dylan has brought to this country for more than half a century. Plus, Chalamet brings the star-power and attractiveness to entice the younger audience, who may be questioning why they would want to see this critically acclaimed movie.
“A Complete Unknown” is now available to watch on streaming services for anyone interested in learning more about one of the biggest names during what was arguably the most impactful decade in American music history.
