“A Complete Unknown” is a musical biopic about the celebrated career of Bob Dylan. Director James Mangold (“Walk the Line” 2005) put together an entertaining look at Dylan, examining, among other things, his relationship with Joan Baez and his venture into electric music which aggravated his folk music fan base. The expected drama is all there, from the screenplay he co-wrote with Jay Cocks, adapted from the 2015 book “Dylan Goes Electric” by Elijah Wald.
Timothee Chalamet delivered a solid performance as Dylan, even performing his hit songs and playing harmonica and guitar. Chalamet has quite a wide range as an actor, also appearing in diverse roles such as Willy Wonka in “Wonka” (2023) and Paul Atreides in the two recent “Dune” films (2021 & 2024).
The talented supporting cast includes Elle Fanning as his girl friend, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scott McNairy as Woody Guthrie, P. J. Byrne as Harold Leventhal, Nick Pupo as Peter Yarrow, Stephen Carter Carlson as Paul Stookey, Kayli Carter as Maria Muldaur, and Michael Chernus as Theodore Bikel.
The watchable “A Complete Unknown” was a modest success at the box office for producers James Mangold and Timothee Chalamet, Searchlight Pictures, Veritas Entertainment, White Water, Range Media Partners, The Picture Company, Turnpike Films, and The Walt Disney Company. It received eight Academy Award nods (and zero wins) for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Chalamet), Best Supporting Actor (Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Barbaro), Best Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.
A Complete Unknown (2024)
cinema
My Review
“A Complete Unknown” is a musical biopic about the celebrated career of Bob Dylan. Director James Mangold (“Walk the Line” 2005) put together an entertaining look at Dylan, examining, among other things, his relationship with Joan Baez and his venture into electric music which aggravated his folk music fan base. The expected drama is all there, from the screenplay he co-wrote with Jay Cocks, adapted from the 2015 book “Dylan Goes Electric” by Elijah Wald.
Timothee Chalamet delivered a solid performance as Dylan, even performing his hit songs and playing harmonica and guitar. Chalamet has quite a wide range as an actor, also appearing in diverse roles such as Willy Wonka in “Wonka” (2023) and Paul Atreides in the two recent “Dune” films (2021 & 2024).
The talented supporting cast includes Elle Fanning as his girl friend, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scott McNairy as Woody Guthrie, P. J. Byrne as Harold Leventhal, Nick Pupo as Peter Yarrow, Stephen Carter Carlson as Paul Stookey, Kayli Carter as Maria Muldaur, and Michael Chernus as Theodore Bikel.
The watchable “A Complete Unknown” was a modest success at the box office for producers James Mangold and Timothee Chalamet, Searchlight Pictures, Veritas Entertainment, White Water, Range Media Partners, The Picture Company, Turnpike Films, and The Walt Disney Company. It received eight Academy Award nods (and zero wins) for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Chalamet), Best Supporting Actor (Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Barbaro), Best Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.