Contrary to the flashy and performative display of Elvis Presley’s life in his biopic released in 2022, James Mangold’s December 2024 release of Bob Dylan’s biopic “A Complete Unknown,” offers no childhood flashbacks, bright colors or glamorous choreographed scenes.
Concentrated between 1961 and 1964, the start and peak of Dylan’s career, the biopic follows his journey to fame as a folk and rock icon, ending with his rebellious decisions at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; rather than providing insight on Dylan as a person, it focused on his impact on music.
Starting with a young Dylan traveling to see an ill Woodrow “Woody” Guthrie, a hero to him, he then meets traditional folk music legend Pete Seeger who sets him up with the stability needed to release his work. Initially recording covers, Dylan struggles to find his footing in the music industry and stay true to his beliefs.

Timothee Chalamet, known for his work in Dune and Wonka, provides an outstanding performance, even singing all of Dylan’s songs himself. Other notable actors include Elle Fanning as Dylan’s girlfriend, Sylvie Russo, Boyd Holbrook as singer Johnny Cash and Monica Barbaro as singer Joan Baez.
On the Late Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Chalamet even said “[A Complete Unknown] is the movie [he’s] proudest of in [his] career.” He spent around five years working on perfecting the character, with the production crew initially set on filming it in 2019.
The blunt and rooted emotion of Dylan didn’t paint him as a hero or role model, but instead as a hostile and troubled artist, often disregarding personal relationships.
The authenticity, however, is a reason Chalamet has seen the film perform well. It didn’t seem like the movie was pushing for an understanding of Dylan as a person, but rather just as a reflection of who he is, even if that isn’t the warmest character. Because of its honesty, the film stayed true to Dylan rather than pushing a front that celebrities often want future generations to remember them as.
The scenes are continuous and do not jump around, offering a clear perspective of Dylan in the ‘60s. I enjoyed how straightforward it was as it allows the audience to focus without unnecessary distractions or sub-plots.

Although critics found the movie monotonous and dull, the audience score, myself included, rated it highly because of its calm demeanor. I felt invested in the storyline and cared about the characters because they were so real and non-superficial. The many characters had their own flaws, such as Dylan’s hostility or Sylvie’s love blindness, that were a good reminder that the people in the spotlight are humans as well.
In an interview with Collider Interviews, Mangold said the film was intended to be about “how it feels to be the person with the talent; how lonely in some ways it makes you; how it feels to be the people around that person; how proud, inspired or envious.” He continues with the idea of portraying someone carrying the burden of creation, and grappling with staying true to one’s “genre” or “tribe.”
The questions of internal understanding, and finding where you fit in society, were perfectly captured in the film. Mangold chose not to take a theatrical approach, but to coincide with Dylan as a person and what he brought to the world.
Even though it may seem debatably “boring” because of its lack of theatrics, when compared to recent biopics, there was something touching about its genuineness to not be like the rest, just like Dylan himself. This movie is definitely recommended, as I came out of the theater wanting to listen to all the singers and songs played. It should not be viewed with the intention to change your perspective of Bob Dylan himself, but just to better understand the troubled artist as much as possible.