Back in 1961, we meet a young man from Minnesota who goes by Robert Zimmerman—but you know him as Bob Dylan. He shows up at the hospital where the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie is dying and manages to impress Woody and Pete Seeger with his raw talent. Not long after, Dylan is making waves in New York’s Greenwich Village, blending catchy music with powerful protest lyrics that speak against the mainstream.

Dylan gets involved with Sylvie Russo romantically, but ends up cheating on her with Joan Baez, another big name in folk music. By 1965, things take a wild turn—Dylan amps things up by playing electric songs with a rock band and shifts away from politics to create more surreal lyrics inspired by poets like Rimbaud and Dylan Thomas. This “betrayal” doesn’t sit well with his Greenwich Village fans, but hey, he’s now capturing hearts around the globe.

Trying to figure out Bob Dylan is kind of impossible—a mix of truth and legend so tangled that maybe it’s best to just go along for the ride. Mangold tackles this story in a bold way that’s not as out-there as Todd Haynes’ approach where different actors became versions of Dylan; still, Mangold smartly walks away from simple storytelling methods. It keeps us engaged without feeling too predictable or stiff.
In this movie, Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan during his early days as a folksinger. Dylan arrives on the scene with a head full of ideas and a suitcase packed with songs that would shake things up. He’s portrayed as a mysterious mix of confidence and arrogance—kind of hard to connect with until you remember how Dylan’s always tried to keep his true identity wrapped up in his music.

Director James Mangold chooses an interesting path for this film. Instead of diving deep into every detail of Dylan’s life, he focuses more on the feeling and sound of his music, showcasing Chalamet reimagining many awesome tracks from Dylan’s collection. So if you’re looking for a straightforward biography here, you might find that side of the story takes a backseat—and some historical moments are smushed together or altered a bit for drama.

Edward Norton does an amazing job playing Pete Seeger, who starts out as Dylan’s hopeful mentor but soon sees how quickly Dylan’s talents might outshine everyone else’s—including his own. Even if he knows it won’t end well for him, he can’t help but root for Dylan.

While Norton’s character shines through pretty clearly, the film doesn’t spend as much time diving into the personalities or stories of its female characters, leaving them not quite as developed. Overall though, it’s an intriguing window into the chaotic world of young Bob Dylan and all those songs that took everyone by storm.
Monica Barbaro really shines when she sings, channeling those Joan Baez vibes perfectly. But when it comes to the chit-chat scenes that mimic Dylan or Chalamet, it’s just not quite there. With such a big project, you’re bound to hit a few bumps along the way. But in the end, A Complete Unknown pulls everything together to create something special that’s more than just a mix of its different pieces.