A Complete Unknown Review: Relive Bob Dylan's controversial and ego-driven musical journey!

RATING - 3/5* ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

A Complete Unknown Review Movie Talkies:

James Mangold, known for Ford vs. Ferrari, returns to the biographical genre with A Complete Unknown, but unfortunately falls short of expectations. This musical biography may please Bob Dylan's fans, but it doesn't offer much for others. Using Bette Davis' iconic quote from Now, Voyager (1942), "Let's not ask for the moon. We have stars," to elevate a not-so-serious relationship and make it cinematic was too much liberty. I guess Dylan and Rotolo wouldn't agree, nor would Irving Rapper.

A Complete Unknown Story:

The film begins with Bob arriving in New York City and meeting his idol, Woody Guthrie. His friend, Pete Seeger, introduces Bob to the folk scene, and he gains fame. Despite becoming a star, he feels unhappy with the burden and restrictions of folk music, which ultimately leads to a breakup with his girlfriend, Sylvie.

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Around the same time, he engages in a relationship with his singing partner, Joan, which also ends abruptly. These platonic and tumultuous affairs aren’t truly compelling to watch, but the writer and director must present them to maintain authenticity. The film becomes tedious at this point and is quite slow, too.

Thankfully, the last half hour sees Bob following his instincts, and that departure from the archetype zone allows the film to conclude on an engaging note. Timothée Chalamet's performance is noteworthy, even though the character lacks various shades. Edward Norton's role should have been larger to do justice to his caliber, while Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro were adequate. Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, and others performed well.

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A Complete Unknown Movie Review:

James Mangold has created a watchable film, and it's more than just watchable for Dylan fans. The musical pieces are good, although the screenplay is somewhat lengthy. Overall, there’s nothing much wrong with it, but there’s not much special about it either, as noted by others.