James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” is one of those musical biopics that gives you what you expect, if not asks for, but also manages to be better than the formula usually allows.
What formula am I referring to?
The one in which we meet our struggling musician who gets a chance to shine in front of a would-be therapist (a nod to the wide reaction shots of the soon-to-be manager), followed by rehearsals and concert montages, the second acting out bombings and screaming matches, followed by the third act of redemption, which usually takes place on On stage in front of hundreds of screaming fans.
Don’t forget the self-conscious dialogue that arrogantly points to the future (example: “You’ll never amount to anything, not with a name like that…David Bowie!”) which already feels like an inescapable “Saturday Night Live” show. Parody coming.
I’m so tired of these movies.
The thing about most music biopics, especially those produced within the last 25 years, is how the majority are based on the lives of artists who are still alive, who joined the project as producers and can determine the direction of the film. Hence, a lot of these films have been watered down and become somewhat generic.
To be fair, not all of them, but a lot of them are promotional tracks for the soundtrack and could be dismissed as TV movie level dramas. Yes, you get a great soundtrack and a showcase for the lead performer who can impersonate (and usually lip-sync) like a pro, but there is a similarity to many of these films.
Then there’s “Completely Anonymous,” which in a way adheres to the formula and expectations of a Bob Dylan film but doubles down on the music, the unflattering details, and the artist’s stubborn faith in his art.
The result is a film that feels less ready for VH1 than a film that’s as cheerful, unflattering, and refreshing as the best of these types of films (more on that later).
We meet Dylan, played by Timothée Chalamet, as he navigates the city and heads to the hospital to visit his ailing musical hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). In the presence of Guthrie and his friend/folk singer Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Dylan plays a song Guthrie wrote about him.
Chalamet’s presentation of the score (plus a perfect shot of Dylan), the understated way the actors play it, and Mangold’s presentation announce that this is not going to be a typical “behind the music” film.
Dylan’s slow rise, random encounters, and growth as a songwriter/artist make up most of the narrative, which stops every few minutes to play a knockout tune and add another strange twist to the Dylan legend.
Essentially, despite presenting different versions of himself and his artistry (something Todd Hine’s strange but fascinating exploration of in 2007’s I’m Not There ), Dylan is unrecognizable. Mangold and Chalamet seem to recognize this and present us with a poet and conductor whose music spoke to an entire generation, even if the man behind them was aloof or, as depicted here, alienated and self-centered.
I loved Mangold’s first two films, “Heavy” (1995) and “Copland” (1997), and recognized that his portrayal of Dylan resembled the awkward, sentimental outliers in those films. Mangold corrects himself after his overrated hit “Walk the Line” (2005), in which he led the Joaquin Phoenix/Reese Witherspoon drama about John and June Carter Cash, a respectable but very generic drama, and the inspired parody “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox’s “The Story” (2007) mocked it and almost every cliché in the genre that preceded it.
Mangold’s latest is not a definitive Dylan film, although with the exception of perhaps DA Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back (I say perhaps because even that film isn’t the whole story), I doubt such a film is possible. Completely Anonymous fails to explore Dylan’s psyche (knowing who the real Dylan is is probably impossible, if interviews are any indication of how he keeps his dark secret intact).
Is there a definitive Dylan film at this point? I’d say it’s probably the weird, sexy, and interesting film “Masked and Anonymous” (2003), with its all-star cast, which is a dreamlike set in a post-apocalyptic world that places Dylan as the star, the man with the answers to a fallen world. Dylan also co-wrote it.
I’m not saying “Masked and Anonymous” is good, but I’ve never forgotten it, and as with notable bad movies, it’s worth watching at least once.
In terms of “A Complete Unknown’s” most glaring faults, Dan Fogler’s broad, SNL-ready performance as Dylan’s manager is a major distraction. The scenes of Dylan’s long-suffering girlfriend (Elle Fanning) are all too familiar.
Like Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), it’s too long, sometimes loses focus by trying to cover too much ground, and during the second act, it’s sometimes too much but not enough (wait, who was Dylan dating in that one scene, Which he sent walking home two minutes later. Did this keyboardist really do the “Like a Rolling Stone” intro by accident?!).
However, like “The Doors,” it centers around a towering lead performance, offering a young audience the enjoyment of plenty of great music and several great scenes that draw you back when the film threatens to become unfocused.
Dylan is still among us, and his legacy holds some fascinating, mysterious, and as-yet-unexplored career turns that would probably fill another documentary. Mangold was wise not to cram everything in and focus solely on the time when Dylan became Dylan…the first time.
Exceptions to this genre are What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993), La Bamba (1987), and The Doors (1991). The rest? Most rock biographies are more promotional soundtracks than material (Exhibit A: “Rocketman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” etc.).
Mangold and Chalamet’s performances make us understand why Dylan challenged and inspired the counterculture, 20th century musicians, and all those who came after them.
Almost Completely Anonymous covers the first few years of Dylan’s legendary career, which Mangold depicts as straightforwardly as possible. When Chalamet is in profile, it’s like the movie pauses to be creative…which it earns, because, whether in profile or shot live, I kept forgetting I was watching Timothee Chalamet.
Here’s another amazing thing about Chalamet – the end credits reveal that he sang a long list of Dylan songs himself. Norton as well. What an undertaking and achievement for a film actor.
Norton delivers the kind of warm, endearing role usually reserved for Wes Anderson. Monica Barbaro delivers a knockout turn while Joan Baez, a scene-stealing Boyd Holbrook, pins and pulls Johnny Cash’s edge (yes, I liked his take on the man more than Phoenix’s), and in the middle, there’s the moving turn. McEnery as Guthrie.
If you’re not a fan of this music or have never heard it before, I think the film will appeal to beginners and create new fans.
What is Mangold’s secret to making this film soar so high? Rather than overwhelm his audience with anecdotes and lively musical formula, he hits us with brilliance – Chalamet’s stunning performance, some of the greatest songs ever recorded and many wonderful scenes and supporting performances.
They collectively bring this up across several 2024 event films.
Three and a half stars