‘A Complete Unknown’ review: An incomplete Bob Dylan cover

Directed by James Mangold and starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown proves that modern biopics aren’t a’changin.

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In the sweeping tide of biopics that often tread too cautiously or too self-indulgently, A Complete Unknown stands out as a curious anomaly. It’s less interested in decoding its subject than in lingering in the mystery of his contradictions. Director James Mangold, taking the reins of a project about one of the most enigmatic figures in music history, delivers a movie that is more lyrical than lean, a portrait that hums with moments of brilliance even as it occasionally tunes out. This is a film that’s not afraid to meander, to leave questions unanswered. And while that approach won’t work for everyone, it’s undeniably fitting for its elusive subject. It’s only real downside, though, is the fact that Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There is already the quintessential Bob Dylan biopic. Because at least that film fully embraces what makes Dylan, Dylan.

Rather than a linear cradle-to-grave narrative, the story fixates on Dylan’s career during the early to mid-1960s. From his first days in NYC to his electrifying reinvention at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Mangold keeps it simple. The film doesn’t really operate like one of Dylan’s own songs: oblique, layered, or frustratingly evasive. There would’ve been an audacity in that approach, a willingness to embrace the man’s contradictions rather than smooth them out. This film is less about what Dylan did and more about what he meant to those around him. And to a culture hungry for answers he’d never fully give. The obvious question, then, is what the movie is ultimately trying to say in response. It’s essentially the “let’s have a conversation about having conversations” version of a musical biopic.

“I wanted to catch a spark.”

What makes the film at least somewhat compelling is how it leans into the tension between Dylan’s public persona and his private self. Mangold and screenwriter Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York, Silence) don’t shy away from showing Dylan as a man who’s both fiercely independent and painfully human. There’s a scene where Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) brushes off an earnest fan’s admiration with a curt, almost cruel remark, only to crumble moments later in private. It’s a brief glimpse of the weight he carries as an artist who’s constantly being watched, analyzed, and deconstructed.

The film doesn’t provide a neatly packaged thesis on who Dylan really is, and that’s entirely appropriate. After all, how do you pin down someone who’s spent his entire career refusing to be defined? Bonus question for the number crunchers: how do you make a movie like that as financially successful as Bohemian Rhapsody? The answer is simple. You let Chalamet do the work. Also, keep your expectations in check.

So, does the film actually succeed at pulling off its ambitious balancing act? For the most part, yes. There are moments where its off-kilter structure threatens to lose momentum. And some of the musical sequences try much too hard to be profound. But for every misstep, there’s a scene of such raw emotional clarity pulling you right back in for an encore. A recurring motif of mirrors and reflections could have felt heavy-handed. But instead, it lands as a poetic meditation on identity and performance. The film doesn’t try to solve the enigma of Dylan, it revels in it. Inviting the audience to sit with the puzzle and just enjoy the music.

“You’re kind of an a—hole, Bob.”

That’s at least one advantage to adapting Dylan’s songwriting: it doesn’t really have to sound amazing vocally because, well, that’s never been the point of what makes his music so timeless. It’s why covers of Dylan songs have long been a storied tradition that leave room for new interpretation without disrespecting the man himself. After all, Dylan himself got his start (as this movie demonstrates) being a cover artist.

The performances are another highlight. Chalamet’s Dylan is a marvel, not because he’s doing a perfect impersonation but because he captures the essence of a man who’s always a little out of reach. His Dylan is prickly, magnetic, and deeply human. A figure who’s just as likely to charm you as he is to push you away. Monica Barbaro’s portrayal of Joan Baez is equally compelling, bringing both warmth and steel to a character who’s more than just a supporting player in Dylan’s story. Though Elle Fanning’s “Sylvie Russo” has less to do here for large chunks of the film, and to be clear, the real Dylan personally requested the film not use the name of the real woman he dated at the time.

But the real highlight has to be Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, whose affable charm makes him the mentor-turned-anti-antagonist, at least in the sense that his differing philosophies on art are perfectly reasonable while still a foil to Dylan’s overall rebellion against being typecast. It was also wonderfully smart to work in so much Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, a heightened influence of Dylan’s who shouldn’t be ignored.

The bottom line.

Weirdly enough, A Complete Unknown probably doesn’t work best for many hardcore Dylan fans, but it might be a serviceable gateway for newcomers. Or at least those folks in the middle who certainly know of his legacy and are eager for the somewhat generic, cinematic overview of his early career. Again, this isn’t a definitive portrait of Dylan, but that’s all right. I’m Not There is still there.

It is, however, the standard biopic version. Albeit done so well, it’s hard to be disappointed unless you were somehow expecting the standard biopic to suddenly learn its Walk Hard lessons. I mean, James Mangold literally directed Walk the Line, after all (side note; Boyd Holbrook’s Johnny Cash in this is unsettlingly good). Either way, the film at least gets one thing exactly right. If you don’t finish the movie ready to listen (or re-listen) to every Bob Dylan song ever made, then there’s nothing this movie could’ve done to make you think twice.

A Complete Unknown is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer here.

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Images courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. You can read more articles by Jon Negroni here.