Movie Review: A Complete Unknown

4 stars out of 5

I saw this movie on Christmas Day but was then waylaid by the Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows (where at least I did see two Dylan covers performed, “Something There Is About You” and “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down”) So my review has been delayed, sorry. If you wanted to see this film in theaters, you likely already have. I’m reviewing it anyway, so there!

I liked this movie a lot!

I’d been extra-excited to see it since learning last spring that they’d be filming in Hoboken. I never caught a glimpse of any actors, just was mildly inconvenienced by some street closures, and did see some vintage cars, Little City Books transformed into the Music Inn record store, and a catering tent. Hollywood on the Hudson!

Did I mention I liked the movie? I did, a lot. I have to imagine Timothée Chalamet is a favorite for Best Actor, with Edward Norton a likely Best Supporting Actor. Chalamet captures Dylan at each stage over a wild, hyper-productive four-year period. He’s the humble Minnesota kid newly in New York, paying respects to Woody Guthrie at the Greystone psychiatric hospital in Jersey (which we long-time Weird New Jersey subscribers know all about). We see his confidence grow after early success, tinged with a quick revulsion to the trappings of fame and his resultant fandom. And we see a slightly more mature Dylan ready to carve his own path.

Norton delivers not just a spot-on vocal impression of Pete Seeger, but also a balanced portrayal of a man who mentored young Bob while also striving to protect the strict traditions of folk music. Elle Fanning is Dylan girlfriend “Sylvie” (bring me a little water), mostly based on Suze Rotolo. Fanning and Chalamet’s young fascination with each other feels real, as she nurtures him with love, literature, and art, ultimately realizing she’s losing him to Joan Baez and the world. A minor filmmaking critique: There are two nearly identical scenes of a heartbroken Sylvie stage-side. Tighten it up, director James Mangold! (Monica Barbaro brings a darker sultriness and spiky independence to her Baez performance.)

Story and script-wise, we get a fairly standard Hollywood biopic, with a few great “offbeat” moments that raise the overall quality. In terms of accuracy, I’m no Dylan scholar, but there was only one combination-of-two-famous-events that made me do a double-take. (Yes, Mangold and co-screenwriter Jay Cocks, I understand why you did it.)

The music and musical performances by the actors are terrific throughout. They oddly play several songs all the way through, but maybe I’m just jaded by movies usually cutting away from recording sessions and concerts. Fun credits find: Some songs were recorded at Hobo Sounds in Hoboken! (Psst, it’s really in Weehawken, but don’t tell anybody!)

I was thoroughly entertained and satisfied by this quality production, which I imagine could be very informative for younger viewers. May they stay forever young.