Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan in the biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” The film is based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties” by Elijah Wald and gets its title from a lyric in Dylan’s song “Like a Rolling Stone.”
The film focuses on Dylan’s early years and rise to fame. The 19-year-old Dylan arrives in New York City, New York, to visit his idol, Woody Guthrie, who discovers Dylan’s musical talent along with Pete Seeger. Seeger begins to book Dylan small gigs, and he soon rises in popularity.
After Dylan becomes well known for playing folk music, he attempts to branch out to a more rock-oriented sound, but his audience hates the switch. In the movie, Dylan defies his audience’s expectations, saying he wants to be whatever his audience does not want him to be.
The film takes a unique approach to the biopic genre, primarily focusing on the early years of Dylan’s career, and ending with Dylan’s decision to change the genre of his music. Other biopic films, such as “Rocketman,” the Elton John biopic, stretches from when John first played the piano to him reaching worldwide stardom.
Similarly, the acclaimed “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen’s biopic, details their story from the band’s formation to their iconic performance at Live Aid. Contrarily, “A Complete Unknown” ends with Dylan’s first performance after switching to a different genre of music, signifying that Dylan and his genre of music are then unknown, befitting the title.
Chalamet’s performance has been nominated for numerous awards and has already taken home a few wins. He has even landed a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars. He nails Dylan’s unique voice both while singing and in regular conversation. Chalamet worked to perfect his role for years and it shows.
Chalamet is no stranger to singing in his films, having starred in the musical “Wonka” in December 2023. His pride for this film was on full display at it’s New York City premiere when Chalamet dressed like Dylan by rocking blonde bangs with a blue beanie – he even held up a serious composure throughout the night to match Dylan’s. His campaign stretches even further as he was the host and musical guest of “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, Jan. 25, and will be the first non-musician to do so. Fans of Chalamet are also looking forward to spending three Decembers in a row in the theater with him as one of his next projects, “Marty Supreme,” is set for a December 2025 release.
Beyond Chalamet’s praises, the supporting actors of the film are also being acknowledged for their roles this award season. Edward Norton, who plays Seeger, has received a lot of praise for his performance. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards over the past 30 years, including Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for this film, but he has yet to take home a win. Monica Barbaro also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Joan Baez.
Dylan himself has even taken to social media to praise Chalamet’s performance and the movie itself. He called “Dylan Goes Electric!” a “fantastic retelling of events,” and he advises fans of his to read it after they have seen the film.
The film itself has also been nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. “A Complete Unknown” is tied with “Conclave” as the fourth most nominated movie at the Oscars with eight nods. The movie has grossed close to $100 million worldwide and continues to pull box office success.
