A Complete Unknown Review: Timothée Chalamet Shines in One-Note Biopic

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As a long-time admirer of Bob Dylan and his revolutionary music, I must admit that my expectations were sky high for “A Complete Unknown.” However, after watching this biopic, it left me feeling as empty as one of Dylan’s many broken hearts.

In the opening of the movie, Bob Dylan expresses, “You can be striking or you can be repulsive. However, there’s no such thing as ordinary.” I wholeheartedly concur, as A Complete Unknown is one of the most ordinary biopics I’ve encountered recently. Lately, music biopics have been a significant trend in Hollywood, with movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Elvis, and Back to Black gracing our screens. Yet, before the upcoming biopics about Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and the Beatles, we are presented with a film about Bob Dylan, a musician who has been creating music since the ’50s.

The biopic “A Complete Unknown” was underwhelming, even among the many musician biopics currently popular. Director James Mangold, who I had hoped would improve after his disappointing Indiana Jones film, made another movie that feels like a repetitive rehash of better-executed films in the genre. Unfortunately, despite my initial enthusiasm for this movie, I struggled to find redeeming qualities, and my interest quickly waned within a few minutes.

The film A Complete Unknown opens with stunning production design that transports us to 1960s New York City. The soundtrack at times makes you feel like the streets are pulsating with rhythm and music. Early on, we encounter Bob Dylan, brilliantly played by Timothée Chalamet who has been making waves in Hollywood for his exceptional acting skills. This year alone, he delivered a remarkable performance in Dune: Part Two. In this film, Chalamet captures the essence of Bob Dylan flawlessly, from his pitch-perfect voice to his unique speech patterns and Minnesotan accent – truly a marvelous portrayal.

In Mangold’s exceptional direction, there’s minimal use of non-diegetic music, with live performances instead. This choice avoids overwhelming the dialogue with a musical score, allowing the songs to express their own power and beauty. However, as you progress through the film, it becomes apparent that this tale lacks an emotionally impactful journey.

Initially, the script implies that Bob conceals secrets from his past, leaving us with a vague understanding of his character and motivations. The screenplay fails to provide insight into these questions, making it challenging to empathize with the storyline as Bob remains distant and unapproachable.

In the movie, Timothée Chalamet encounters a girl named Sylvie, played by Elle Fanning. After their initial encounter, they decide to share living space together. However, there’s no romantic spark between them, which seems intentional as their relationship is fraught with conflict from the start. The screenplay by Mangold and Jay Cocks emphasizes this subplot as a significant emotional focus of the film, but if the central emotion of your movie feels weak or struggling, it might not bode well for its success.

In “A Complete Unknown,” I, as a viewer, found myself initially struggling to connect or sympathize with the protagonist, Bob, during the first half of the film. Unlike other characters, he lacked a clear objective and seemed detached, leaving me more puzzled than intrigued about his desires. Is he yearning for recognition, fame, or success? The movie leaves this question unanswered in its initial stages.

Movies featuring unsympathetic protagonists can engage audiences through making them relatable, stirring intense dislike that fuels our desire to see them fail, or delivering an electrifying performance that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, much like a car accident you can’t help but watch unfold. However, A Complete Unknown lacks all these elements. Bob Dylan is reserved and lacking in charisma. You don’t feel joy when he gains fame and acclaim for his music because we don’t know enough about him to understand what he desires. There’s a scene where he’s angry because he’s surrounded by people who want to talk to him, but he’s frustrated because they expect him to be someone other than himself. This anger seems unwarranted as he is among admirers of his work. He simply appears ungrateful.

In a subsequent sequence, Bob’s violent encounter at the bar intensifies his animosity. However, we don’t empathize with Bob’s relationships in the same way he seems uninterested in them. As Bob grows increasingly detached, so too can the audience. The movie primarily relies on characters like Sylvie to evoke emotions. An early scene effectively portrays Sylvie’s internal turmoil as she watches Bob perform, with the camera focusing on her face, revealing her struggle with being with a man who is admired by many. However, the climactic scene where their conflict would culminate is completely omitted. It seems that the most impactful part of the story has been excised, and we only rejoin these characters later with poorly explained circumstances.

In my perspective as a viewer, the scene that echoed an earlier moment, around an hour into the movie, fell flat due to a sense of repetition. The same character conflicts seemed to be rehashed, leaving me wishing Sylvie had more insight so her emotional responses would feel more genuine and less abrupt. However, keeping Sylvie in the dark about crucial information and allowing her reactions to unfold as they did only served to make those outbursts seem misplaced rather than justified. If only there were a deeper exploration of Sylvie’s relationship with Bob, I believe it could have sparked more empathy within me. But unfortunately, their chemistry was lacking, and I found myself unable to invest in their bond.

Let’s revisit Bob: what is it that he yearns for? It gradually becomes evident around halfway through that Bob is not keen on singing the folk tunes that have earned him immense admiration. Instead, he aspires to venture into electrically amplified rock music. However, society seems unwilling to accept this transition from his established persona. This perspective, however, fails to do justice to Bob Dylan’s extensive musical journey spanning over decades. The film “A Complete Unknown” portrays a four-year period without evoking any sense of joy, regardless of whether he’s performing traditional songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “The Times They Are a-Changin'”, or his electric rock pieces such as “Maggie’s Farm” and “Like a Rolling Stone.

In summary, this movie lacks emotional impact and excitement, even though it attempts to portray Bob Dylan’s struggle against societal norms. It’s not particularly moving or award-worthy, as the film fails to evoke any strong emotions in viewers. The question remains: if Bob Dylan switches to electric rock, what would he stand to lose? Could it be the fame that he despises? However, Timothée Chalamet delivers an exceptional performance in this rather flat production that lacks sufficient conflict, drama, or tension to truly captivate audiences.

SCORE: 4/10

According to the review guidelines on ComingSoon, a rating of 4 signifies “Poor.” This means that the negative elements significantly overshadow the good ones, making it challenging to finish the evaluation.

Disclosure: ComingSoon received a screener for our A Complete Unknown review.

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2024-12-10 20:42