Timothee Chalamet stars as folk music icon Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” (Photo Credit: Macall Polay).
(“A Complete Unknown” trailer courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)
How someone becomes a star in Hollywood has become a hot topic in social media with many people saying that an aspiring artist must sell their soul to find success in the entertainment industry.
While that may prove true for some entertainers, every now and again an artist comes along with so much undeniable talent that greatness becomes inevitable.
Thespian Timothee Chalamet has that undeniable talent with stupendous performances to back up such high acclaim.
But in the utterly phenomenal “A Complete Unknown,” Chalamet hits the ball completely out of the ballpark and just might have earned himself that golden statue that all actors and filmmakers aim for.
Just from aesthetics perspective, Chalamet seemed tailor-made to portray eccentric folk singer, Bob Dylan.
Chalamet has the physique.
He has the style.
And with some creativity, he has the hair.
Most importantly, he has the acting chops to portray an enigmatic icon that helped provide the soundtrack to the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement thanks to some of the most famous protest songs in American history.
Unfortunately, the problem with portraying an icon is that when a famous person is so well-known, audiences often watch an actor portray a famous person.
Very seldom does that actor become the icon.
In “Ray,” Jamie Foxx became the revered R&B singer, Ray Charles.
In “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” Angela Bassett became the legendary rock singer, Tina Turner.
And in “Elvis,” Austin Butler became the king of rock and roll.
Likewise, Chalamet becomes Dylan down to the voice and the wardrobe, transforming from a straggly traveler who is influenced by the folk singers that preceded him to the superstar that took folk music to the top of the pop charts and pop culture in the early 1960s.
In “A Complete Unknown,” Bob travels all the way to New York from the Midwest when he finds out that one of his folk heroes Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) has taken ill, living out his final days in a hospital.
When Bob makes his way to the hospital, he also meets another folk star in Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), who immediately recognizes immense talent in the young traveler.
In “A Complete Unknown,” Pete and his wife Toshi (Eriko Hatsune) welcome Bob into their modest home, almost treating him like family.
Although Pete could see Bob as competition in the folk music scene, he instead makes a vow to put him on, as the kids today would say, giving him a chance to shine in New York’s popular open mic scene.
Even though Bob shares the stage with legends like Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), his genius is obvious.
As a result, it is in no time that Bob has a major record contract with Columbia Records.
But while Joan’s recording career makes her an instant star, Bob’s trajectory to the top takes a little longer that he had expected.
Reminiscent to “Ray” and “Respect,” Bob struggles to find his own voice like Charles and Aretha Franklin did because record company executives were intent on choosing their songs for them, instead of allowing them to find their own voice by writing and producing their own material.
While struggling to find his voice in the recording studio, Bob finds more luck in the romance department.
The struggling singer begins a budding romance with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) who just might be the person that provides the inspiration for Bob to take his artistry into his own hands.
When Bob finally begins writing and producing his own music, his fame reaches a level that he never imagined, causing riots in the streets and clubs.
Additionally, success brings expectations and people wanting to use his artistry to push their agenda, not his.
Like all successful artists, Bob has a stubbornness that helps him achieve greatness despite the multiple directions his fans and critics want to take him in.
However, that stubbornness might also alienate him from his fanbase when he begins making the genre of music that his diehard fans despise.
However, true artists push the boundaries regardless of the pushback.
That is what makes their work stand the test of time.
And with his performance as Dylan, Chalamet has created a work that will stand the test of time with “A Complete Unknown.”
And just in case some people still might not know Chalamet since he is so young in the game, they will definitely know him now thanks to an iconic depiction of a true icon.
Despite coming in at a run time of two hours and 21 minutes, “A Complete Unknown” is one of the rare long movies that could have been longer and would not have bored people to death.
Nevertheless, cutting the movie at a specific juncture ensures that “A Complete Unknown” creates a specific story about Dylan’s artistry and purpose.
As a result, “A Complete Unknown” presents a specific theme about not being afraid to push boundaries and not allowing people to put you in a box creatively.
By not allowing that, criticism can quickly turn to understanding, praise and appreciation.
Despite the brilliance of “A Complete Unknown,” filmmaker James Mangold could have done a couple of things better.
The camera pans during the recording studio and hospital scenes do not look that great.
Furthermore, Mangold could have let certain relationships develop better on screen instead of going from zero to 100 so quickly.
When Bob meets Sylvie, they almost immediately go from strangers to boyfriend and girlfriend.
Likewise, Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) goes from hearing Bob sing for the first time to getting him a record deal as his manager, immediately.
That type of quickness cuts down on the length of the film.
But it would have been great to see those relationships develop slower.
Regardless, Mangold does an exquisite job in Bob’s character arc, showing how a dingy-looking dude can transform into a folk music deity with a hit record.
In doing so, “A Complete Unknown” shows how a superstar becomes an immortal great with an iconic performance on the big screen.
“A Complete Unknown” hits theaters on Christmas Day.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
