Jeri Jacquin

Nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture from director James Mangold and Searchlight Pictures comes the story of A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.

It is 1961 New York City and a young Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) arrives with one goal – to meet his musical hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). Finding Guthrie in a hospital room, he also meets Pete Seeger (Ed Norton) who encourages Dylan to play a song for the ill musician. Learning he has nowhere to stay, Seeger offer Dylan a place to stay and introduces him to the folk music scene.

At one of the events, Dylan meets Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) and their romance begins. He also meets Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and industry exec Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) who takes Dylan as a client after hearing the music. Dylan begins writing songs about what is happening in the world and the social unrest. Skyrocketing to stardom, Dylan begins to feel the pressure and expectations of the record label and others around him. He begins to rebel and Seeger sees the stress.

Feeling pushed towards performing the older music instead of the new work, there is a breakdown between he and Baez in front of everyone. Things aren’t going well with Silvie either and now Dyland is alone but the music isn’t. Pushing to use more than his guitar and harmonica, Dylan explores using electric guitars and a rock sound. The one most unlikely person to push him forward with a new sound is fellow musician Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook).

It only takes a push to change everything!

Chalamet as Dylan allows his character to go with the flow of the times. It is clear Dylan is not like other folk singers and has a way with words and music. That captures listeners then the way it continues to today. Chalamet gives us the full-on cigarette smoking soft spoken Dylan hiding behind his sunglasses. Behind those sunglasses is a man with a bit of a mysterious past, a man hiding his emotions and a man of few words other than what he sings to onstage and Chalamet lets us ponder all of that.

Norton as Seeger felt like I was watching Seeger himself. Another soft-spoken character that just wanted folk music to endure and stay pure at its heart. Nortons Seeger believed and supported Dylan with a moment of flashing heartbreak and this actor nails it all. Barbaro as Baez is a strong woman who knows her own mind and music. Her involvement with Dylan becomes complicated which is all his own doing.

Fogler as Grossman sees Dylans magnetism in his work and knows how to expand his following. Dylan tests his patience as much as he does everyone else but Grossman is the one picking up the pieces. Fanning as Sylvie is an artist herself but spends a lot of time supporting Dylan. Fanning shows that Sylvie follows her own dreams but also that heartbreak can be pushed to its limits.  

Shout out to McNairy as Guthrie for an emotional performance that, in the final scene, absolutely broke my heart. Also, Holbrook as Johnny Cash and even though his role is small, like the man in black himself, he is a big presence and I loved it.

Other cast include Joe Tippett as Dave Van Ronk, Eriko Hatsune as Toshi Seeger, Peter Gray Lewis as Frank, Reza Salazar as Tito, David Alan Basche as John Hammond and James Austin Johnson as Gerdes M.C.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

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Bonus Features include The Making of A COMPLETE UNKNOWN – The Story, Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan, The Supporting Cast, The Design, and Audio Commentary by James Mangold.

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN falls into the bio-pic category and I admit that I love them. Here, Chalamet takes on the role of one of my absolute favorite artists and I first heard him when I was in elementary school. Of course, back in “the day” it was hard to learn about singers and songwriters and as the years went by musical tastes changed, evolved and life kept me busy. Through all that, Dylan was/is a constant and I think most Dylan-ites would agree that his music was a centerpiece.

The film finally gives us a glimpse of his beginnings, a few questions answered as well as more than a few surprises to Dylan’s life. Added to that the amazing costuming which absolutely took me back. The music truly had me thrilled with such songs as “Song to Woody”, “Blowin’ in the Wind’ The Times They Are a Changin’, Mr. Tambourine Man, Highway 61 Revisited and so many more.  

Chalamet leads the cast in the beautifully done story of music, relationships, fame and the pitfalls of it all. The ensemble weaves a tapestry as each character related to Dylan differently in an attempt to understand a man who refused to conform but instead chose to create.

In the end – this is a ballad of a true original!

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