Review of A Complete Unknown 2024 movie

Bob Dylan is one of the most difficult stars to portray. He's probably not the most expressive man in the world. His voice is often murmured, and he often seems effusive. Whether it's a cynicism about fame or something else, he generally keeps a certain distance, despite the eloquence of his music. Perhaps Timothée Chalamet, in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown, tries to solve this conundrum more than anyone else. Stream A Complete Unknown 2024 movie on Flixtor info.

This isn't a "Jamie Foxx plays Ray Charles" performance, but the story cleverly takes Dylan's enigmatic personality into account and gives his star a chance to shine.

Young Dylan arrives in New York and travels to the hospital where his idol Woody Guthrie is being treated. He wants to pay his respects to him. When he arrives, folk music legend Pete Seeger is visiting Guthrie. After hearing him sing, Seeger goes all out to help the aspiring musician, giving him performance opportunities and introducing him to important people, including Joan Baez. During this time, Dylan falls in love with Sylvie Russo, even as he is attracted to Baez.

It would be pointless to try to cover Bob Dylan's entire career in one film. A Complete Unknown focuses on his early years, and on a very specific idea. As Dylan's popularity grows through protest songs, Seger sees Dylan as the artist who can take folk music to the next level and introduce it to people who might otherwise have ignored it. But Dylan doesn't necessarily want the role. The second half of the film is about an altercation over electric guitars: Dylan is committed to them, and to rock sounds in general; Seger worries they'll scare off traditional folk music audiences.

The approach is made all the more compelling by Chalamet and Norton's contrasting yet complementary performances: the latter portrays Seger as a quiet pacifist always trying to keep conflict to a minimum; the former delves directly into Dylan's enigmatic nature. The humor and tension come from watching these two men, with their differing philosophies but shared passion for music, respect each other but also irritate each other. A Complete Unknown is a masterful exploration of the eternal battle between tradition and innovation.

The film's weakness is its treatment of its women. Barbaro plays her well, but Joan Baez hardly gives her the performance she deserves. Meanwhile, the romance between Dylan and Sylvie is shallow and conventional. Fanning has some strong moments. Unfortunately, the script never allows her to make the character more than a general friend.