'A Complete Unknown' Film Review
Biopics are a dime a dozen these days, with many actors seemingly taking on these roles to shoehorn themselves into the Oscar race. Many follow the same cliched structure—drugs, sex, and the inevitable downfall of fame. Even the underrated Walk Hard: Dewey Cox Story highlighted these tropes in an over-the-top, hilarious way.
One of the standouts in James Mangold's new film A Complete Unknown, besides Timothee Chalamet's dedicated performance capturing Bob Dylan's persona, is that the narrative doesn't touch any of these topics. I came to the realization that this is both a blessing and a curse. Through its aversion to typical climaxes, the film presents a simple story about a man who loved his music no matter what events could have easily impacted his life. From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the JFK assassination, he always had one thing in mind—his passion for music.
Chalamet delivers a terrific performance that outshines most of the cast. His subtle movements and tics, even behind his dark sunglasses and low-key demeanor, feel understated in the best way possible. And for a character that doesn't have much dimension, he rolls with it—even down to his pitch-perfect voice.
While these major elements worked for me, I found a void between myself and the characters for most of the runtime. Ed Norton, who plays Pete Seeger, sparkles in the quietly reserved and sweet intro but then slowly feels relegated to the background until the final act. The film is oddly structured, with characters coming in and out of Dylan's life without much context or emotional depth. I even felt they did an incredible disservice to Johnny Cash's character, whose relationship with Dylan felt forced.
Even though I personally feel that Mangold has stumbled in his directing since making one of the greatest superhero movies ever with Logan, I still enjoyed my time with A Complete Unknown. Chalamet is great, and there are enough interesting tidbits here to warrant a slight thumbs up. I just wish it moved along at a better pace.
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