The ever-profitable genre of musician biopics struck again with James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” a surprisingly-solid biopic about the early years of Bob Dylan. Between an eclectic mix of songs, excellent casting, and a stellar final sequence, this movie succeeded in creating a balanced portrayal of an icon where similar biopics have failed, resulting in a film closer to “The Social Network” than “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Musician biopics are often rife with underdog stories, as though the tension of those stories isn’t undercut by virtue of the films being made at all. “A Complete Unknown” sidesteps this conundrum entirely, focusing more on Dylan’s immediate connections with established folk figures such as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie than clashes with producers. It was a welcome spin on the biopic, skipping over tired scenes of dreaming of making it big or the subsequent self-pitying depictions of the struggles of fame.
Mangold does not shy away from portraying Dylan in a negative light. Throughout the film he cheats on his girlfriends, shows little genuine interest in social causes, and undermines friends out of self interest. As a general rule, if the Bob Dylan shown in “A Complete Unknown” associates with another individual, they will be somewhat worse off for it, a welcome change from the overly sanitized biopics of the recent past.
Timothee Chalamet, Monica Barbaro, and Edward Norton deliver stellar performances as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger respectively. Chalamet and Barbaro’s vocals both perfectly encapsulate Dylan and Baez’s singing voices, and while Chalamet’s slurred (and often even incomprehensible) style of speaking can sound like a caricature at times, it is certainly an accurate portrayal of Bob Dylan.
The final sequence in the film, that of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, is undoubtedly the standout. The last half hour of the movie shows Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival for a third time, now with a full electric band in tow – against the wishes of the managers of the festival, Seeger included. The sequence is fraught with tension as multiple parties attempt to dissuade Dylan from performing with a full band, something that conflicts directly with both the conventions of the folk genre and political goals of the festival.
At this point it is clear that Dylan holds little regard for the social causes dear to many of those involved with Newport. Emphasis is placed on the fact that his backing band is an all-white blues band, while the Civil Rights Movement was a cause supported by those performing at and attending the festival. Although the crowd’s fury eventually gives way to some amount of interest, his performance does not end in changed minds and cheers – those only come after he returns to stage for an encore, alone with an acoustic guitar.
The depiction of the birth of folk rock isn’t depicted as an uncomplicated triumph. Dylan is estranged from both Baez and Seeger, is unceremoniously broken up with, and leaves both the Newport Folk Festival and folk genre as a whole in ruins. In the end, he drives away alone, leaving the audience feeling more sympathy for the other figures in the film than Dylan himself.
“A Complete Unknown” gives me hope for the future of musician biopics, showing that the genre can do more than just serve as feel-good nostalgia fodder. With its nuanced portrayals of complex relationships, fame, and clashing values, it truly succeeds in showing another side of Bob Dylan.
4/5 Stars
