Does anybody else get the distinct impression that James Mangold isn’t done telling us all about Johnny Cash? It’s not just that Cash appears in this film several times, but in these poignant cameos, Cash (Boyd Holbrook) appears both cool and enigmatic, exactly what Mangold was trying to display in Walk the Line. And a person like me cannot help but note that the Cash biopic had controversy and prison and an endless love affair while the Bob Dylan biopic … did not.
Do you want to know what the big conflict was in A Complete Unknown? Go on, guess. Because you never will if you haven’t seen the film. The huge issue for Bob Dylan, apparently, was being at odds with the folk purist crowd, i.e. people so into folk music, they couldn’t stand any performer who bent the rules.
It’s not exactly “overcoming oppressive rule” or “breaking race barriers,” is it? In fact, I’d say if such a wimpy conflict ever describes a genuine Best Picture, the Academy should dissolve on the spot.
That said, A Complete Unknown is definitely worth seeing, if only for the performances, starting with the lead. Timothée Chalamet is Bob Dylan, and I can’t imagine another performer bringing greater justice to the role.
A very young and unaccomplished Dylan traveled from Minnesota to NYC in 1961 to meet his hospitalized hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). I dunno what psychiatric ward security was like in 1961, but I’d say today, it’s near impossible for a random, unvetted person to enter any hospital room solely occupied by two music legends like Guthrie and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Nevertheless, Dylan found his idol and his audience. Upon listening to a Dylan original, Seeger immediately took him in and -essentially- gave him his start in the NYC music scene.
Being both a talented song writer and a man, it was only a matter of time before Bob attracted women willing to house him. The first was Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), who makes the critical error of 
leaving her apartment at which point, Bob immediately hooks up with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). Barbaro and Norton are among several outstanding performers in this ensemble.
Eventually, we get to the hits, which propel Bob Dylan’s stardom. It’s clear from this telling that Bob Dylan cared more about music than anything else, and also that new music only served a purpose while it was new. With the possible exception of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan didn’t seem taken with anybody or anything for more than five minutes. Was it fitting that he wrote “Like A Rolling Stone?” I can’t think of anybody else who could.
Of course, I’m amused to no end considering the folk crowd rioting for the original purity of “Like A Rolling Stone,” a song that says over-and-over-and-over again, (I paraphrase) “change happens, adjust or die.”
A Complete Unknown is performance art at its finest. I do not have a single problem with this film sweeping all the acting awards. However, I still wouldn’t give it a Best Picture nomination. James Mangold, I think you directed much better than you wrote this time around.
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♪Once upon a time you read these lines
Sought the frogblog signs, sang these rhymes, didn’t you?
Summer fall reviews for all you got the call
On an off day you had withdrawal, didn’t you?
You used to try my thoughts on Cannes
Ev’ry “Monster Box” and Tyler pan
Now you don’t check ‘em out
“3,000 posts, what’s that about?”
Wondering why Jim can’t convert to video
Where did you go? I’m not laying low.
This is still my home
And I’m still unknown, like a John Doe clone ♫
Rated R, 141 Minutes
Director: James Mangold
Writer: James Mangold, Jay Cocks, Elijah Wald
Genre: Walk the Line, part II
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Johnny Cash
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Folk music purists
♪ Parody Inspired by “Like A Rolling Stone”
