Just like the drumbeat that marks the start of the essential Like a Rolling Stonethe first reactions to the biopic A Complete Unknownthey are forceful. The film that portrays the early years of Bob Dylan, a legend of popular music, has received critical praise, especially in the work of its protagonist, Timothée Chalamet.
Directed by James Mangold, and co-written by him and Jay Cocks, A Complete Unknown is based on the the book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night That Split the Sixties (2015)by Elijah Wald, which portrays the career of the Minnesota bard in the first half of the sixties; from his dazzling appearance as a promising folk troubadour in the cafes of New York, to his electric transformation in the legendary show at the Newport Folk Festival. The time when the fans responded to his audacity with bottles.
In general, the international media highlights Chalamet's on-screen work. The actor of Dune, The French Dispatch e Interstellarundertook intense preparation to step into Bob Dylan's shoes; He took singing and guitar classes, worked on his accent, visited key places in Dylan's life and refused to allow visitors on set, so as not to take him out of character. All that effort was well displayed in the film.
“A Complete Unknown It is his most ambitious work to datein which he is not only asked to act insecurely within a sneer, but also to play and sing 40 songs with the unmistakable Dylan growl, accompanied by a tempestuous harmonica,” notes Mark Kennedy in his review for AP News.
From the leading The Guardian, critic Peter Bradshaw also praised Chalamet's performance. “Timothée Chalamet's hilarious and seductive portrayal of Bob Dylan makes him the smiling, glowering, reluctant leader of his generation, whose refusal to submit to the crucifixion of acoustic folk purity is his own crucifixion. Chalamet gives us a semi-serious experience of someone who is part Steinbeck hero, part boy band star, part sacrificial deity. When asked dismissively if he is God, Chalamet’s Dylan responds: “How many more times? Yeah”.
For his part, film critic Scott Menzel also had positive words for the star, in statements reported by Variety. “A true tour de force in which Chalamet never appears. Chalamet's performance is not just about the voice and appearance, but rather all the little nuances and gestures which he brings perfectly to his life in his interpretation of Bob Dylan.”
The New York Times critic, Alissa Wilkinson, also had words for Chalamet's work. “It looks great and cleverly plays with some conventions of rock biopics. Plus, Timothée Chalamet makes a great Dylan and Edward Norton is fantastic as Pete Seeger.”.
Although the narrative arc covers Dylan's story from his beginnings as a newcomer to New York, critics highlight that the film develops differently. “Interestingly, the story, despite the classic biographical musical clichés that Mangold did so much to popularize, It doesn't fit the classic rise-fall-learning-experience-return format. Everything is ascent, but problematic and confusing”details the Guardian review.
The film, in fact, refers to Dylan's elusive character, and his refusal of categories and conventions. “Its title is a nod to the film's thesis, one that my Dylan marathon confirmed: he has spent his career deliberately making himself unknowable. “He appeared out of nowhere, told tall tales and messed with journalists, and radically changed his musical style just when people were ready to anoint him king of folk music,” notes Alissa Wilkinson.
Some supporting roles have also been highlighted, especially Monica Barbaro, who surprises in her interpretation of Joan Baez, Dylan's love interest and creative partner, and Edward Norton, who plays folk legend Pete Seeger. “Excellent supporting performances also from Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger”, detailed critic Scott Menzel.
Barbaro, who has had roles in Top Gun: Maverick and the series Fubarfrom Netflix, has been marked as the revelation of the film, according to critics. Her character is part of the love triangle that the plot proposes, along with Elle Fanning, who plays Sylvie Russo (inspired by Suze Rotolo, Dylan's first girlfriend in NY). “Monica Barbaro is an elegant Joan Baez, with whom Dylan rudely cheats on Sylvie and whose charming yet refined soprano voice is described by him as perhaps too beautiful.”
In short, it is a well-made biopic, based on the work of its star. “If you're a Bob newbie, you'll leave the theater ready to dive into his back catalog. If you're already a fan, the next few weeks will be spent making playlists of lesser-known B-sides or reading the story about a scene you weren't familiar with. And that's why it was a good idea to make this film: a crazy idea, but a good one,” concludes the NME review.
A Complete Unknown premieres on December 25 in the United States. It is expected to arrive in Chilean theaters on February 20.
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