A Complete Unknown [Bob Dylan Biopic]

The Black Oil

Master Chalamet has the honuors, with James Mangold on familiar ground. December release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcNNteP22gQ

pixelburp

You mean Mangold's most recent film didn't get name-checked? Shocked-not-shocked, lol.

I still maintain a great degree of respect of the man's work & think he's a great B+ tier filmmaker, the likes of which we don't have anymore really … but a music biopic?

Ehhhhhhhh I dunno.

silliussoddius

Will they show his Dewy Cox phase?

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122424805#Comment_122424805

I forgot that Mangold did the last Indiana Jones film

Good to see Edward Norton

Walk the Line in one the best music biopics ever imho

I have high hopes for this and predict Oscar nominations for Timothee and Edward

Hande hoche!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122425773#Comment_122425773

Must re-watch Walk Hard one of these days.

JP Liz V1

Trailer

https://youtu.be/Nsvexi2Ulbs

El Duda

https://twitter.com/TheMovieBadger/status/1866613730307608609

As expected. I'd pay very little attention to Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian.

JP Liz V1

Monica Barbaros really shines and delivers as Joan Baez, I hoped she featured more in award nominations and wins

head82

I'm not a fan of music biopics.. Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Freddy Mercury etc. I always feel they take too much liberty with the facts. I'd much prefer to watch an unbiased documentary on the individual portrayed. As a Dylan fan, I could tear this film apart in terms of inaccuracies.

And therein lies the problem.. this film was not made for nerds like me but for a general audience. It's a very fine line to tread for filmmakers to keep both parties happy and ultimately err on the side of the 'general audience'.

It appears to be doing good box office but for the life of me, I can't understand why. I'm guessing it's down to the audience wanting to see how the actor portrays a living legend. In fairness to Timothy Chalamet, he does a good job. But for non Dylan fans, I can't really see the appeal of this.

PTH2009

Really enjoyed that

Wouldn't be huge fan of Dylan but delighted to see him live a few years back

The music was great and Timothée Chalamet played a blinder

hynesie08

Hollywood discovered the magic formula for music biographies in 2004 with walk the line and have pretty much stuck to it since.

This is no different, lead performer who looks enough like the subject to suck you in, a completely exaggerated version of a story that's very easy to find the truth about, and an underlying subtext about how the only real love in their life is the music/the road.

It's by no means a bad movie, and Elle fanning is fantastic as the love interest slowly breaking, but it's nothing particularly special even if Chalamet will probably get an Oscar nod for it.

Better Man pisses all over it.

santana75

Saw this earlier tonight and I enjoyed it wayyyy more than I Expected to. Was never a dylan fan, didnt dislike his music, more of a neutral really so didnt know much about his life and career. This was 2hrs and 20mins and not for a second was I bored, its pretty entertaining stuff. Edward Norton for me almost steals the movie, he is great in a very calm and understated way and Monica barbaro as Joan Baez is beautiful and brilliant.

Bogey Lowenstein

Enjoyed this. Chalamet does a fine job as Dylan. Some great supporting actors, Seeger, Sylvie, Baez, Albert Hammond who I thimk was Guillermo in WWDITS. A couple of gripes for me was that a lot of the songs are cut down versions, but I suppose some of his songs are on the long side. I didn't really like the Johnny Cash actor, he was missing that unique sing-song voice and tone, and he didn't quite have the look either.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123059168#Comment_123059168

Yay she is Oscar nominated

santana75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123100775#Comment_123100775

And also Edward Norton

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123109317#Comment_123109317

I kinda knew Edward and Timothee were locks for nominations but Monica not so much so am happy she is

mgkelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060891#Comment_123060891

Your comments chime very much with me. My wife & I saw this last night. We were both blown away by it. I found the whole thing a great tale; magical. I fully expect & anticipate that it is not an accurate, 'blow by blow' account of all that transpired. Like others here, I am not a Dylan nerd but rather an admirer, somewhat from afar. I am very lucky to have seen him live twice - Nowlan Park with Neil young, then before that, at Thomond Park. Loved both gigs. But would not be party to the exact details of what happened in his early days. I still found the movie set the scene very well, & gave a very nice feel for aspects of life back then. Found the setting of 1960s New York to be very picturesque & nice to see (though obviously also quite 'grimy'). I will say that the music, ultimately, is the big draw for me. And the depictions were fine.

For what it is worth (and I'm not a movie nerd either! - don't feel qualified to comment on any of the technical qualities of the movies nor portrayals by actors), I thought Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Dylan was fantastic.

A great movie. As others said, much better than expected. Glad we went to see it.

Deregos.

Seen this earlier in the cinema, what a great movie. I was totally absorbed into it for the two hours. There was hardly any fluff, everything portrayed on screen was interesting and relevant with a solid soundtrack throughout. Chalamet was superb, I thought he perfectly captured the BD of that period.

speedboatchase

I didn't really know anything about Dylan's life until I saw this and it was remarkable. Three incredible performances and some beautiful songs. I hope Ed Norton wins especially at the Oscars.

El Duda

A Complete Unknown – 5.5/10

The film opens with a shot of Bob Dylan walking down a street and passing a busker with a tambourine. If that’s the sort of ‘subtlety’ that you can’t stand in these biopics, then this isn’t for you. Most of the film is Bobbles singing his hits, interspersed with cringey close-ups of misty eyed onlookers staring up at him with inane grins. 

Chalamet’s impersonation and vocals are about 80% there. It’s impressive stuff from him and possibly the best I’ve seen from him so far, even though he’s made to work with some hacky dialogue, sometimes shoehorning in lines from songs; “Hey buddy, you got a lot of nerve…” 
You also have some of Ed Norton’s best work for a while as he channels the wet blanket of a man that is Pete Seeger, with a tortured sense of melancholy behind his sad pathetic eyes. 

The music moments are well done, but there are just so many of them. It’s like an onslaught. A barrage of Bobbles. Some of these moments are goosebumpy, like when we see 'The Times They Are A-Changin' being belted out at the Newport Folk Festival, but others feel like filler and it gets tiresome. 

There’s also not much in terms of compelling narrative to hang your hat on. Key plot points, like Bob being reluctant to keep playing his hits, his fractured relationships with women, the controversy of going electric, are touched upon but only in passing. There’s no major through line and there’s just not enough to keep you involved for 140 minutes. I got bored several times.

I’d be interested in seeing what a typical Bob Dylan mega fan thinks of this, as I’d assume that applying the conventional music biopic template to a man renowned for his mystique is the antithesis of everything Bob stands for? 

I went into this knowing that it simply isn’t possible to make a film that evokes the spirit of Bob Dylan that’s as good as Inside Llewyn Davis, but I expected more. 

AMTE_21

I enjoyed the film. Not a huge Bob Dylan fan, I enjoyed Joan Baez singing his songs and I thought Edward Norton as Pete Seeger was excellent. I thought Bob Dylan didn’t come out of it well. I wonder what he thought of it?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123166883#Comment_123166883

He rarely comes off well. Doesn't really seem to care and actually plays up on his unlikable persona.

His bank balance will come out of it well which I'm sure he won't mind.

iffandonlyif

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123162764#Comment_123162764

Great review. I would just add that the Going Electric final act, complete with fisticuffs and Seeger’s wife stepping in to prevent her husband getting in the way of music history, is just ridiculous. With every year I understand more and more why film buffs turn their nose up at Hollywood.

sporina

saw this tonight - reallllly enjoyed it - the proof being that the time flew by for me - 2 hrs 20 mins..

reminded me of Walk the line - loved it - and lots of other music biopics since.. 8/10.. Loved Timothee and Edward.. really loved the Blues guy too - can't rem his name.. actually there wer no characters I disliked.. fab

Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058361340/a-complete-unknown-bob-dylan-biopic

Sounds good! Cheers.