A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, is new to theaters. How do critics react to the biopic about the film icon?
A Complete Unknown—a title inspired by the lyrics of Dylan’s classic hit Like a Rolling Stone—opens in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.
The film’s tagline reads: “In 1961, Bob Dylan, an unknown 19-year-old, arrives in New York with his guitar. He shaped relationships with Greenwich Village music icons during his meteoric rise, which culminated with an innovative feature that resonated around the world.
Directed by James Mangold, the screenplay for A Complete Unknown is written by Mangold and Jay Cocks and is based on Elijah Wald’s book, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the night that divided the sixties.
A Complete Unknown stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, who is a portrait of Dylan’s real-life ex-girlfriend. , Suze Rotolo.
To date, Rotten Tomatoes critics have jointly given A Complete Unknown a “fresh” score of 79% out of 163 reviews.
RT’s critics consensus for A Complete Unknown reads: “Packed with Timothée Chalamet’s electric performance, this Bob Dylan ballad may not get under the skin of the enigmatic artist but will make you feel like you’ve spent some time in his company. “
A Complete Unknown also earned a 95% “fresh” score on RT’s Popcornmeter, across over 250 reviews.
Leonard Maltin is among the most level-headed critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which gives A Complete Unknown a “fresh” rating. On his official website, Maltin writes: “Will other younger people identify with this image or even care about its central characters? I can’t wait for this, but I know it when I’ve seen a gorgeously designed period piece. It’s my favorite movie of the year.
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times also offers A Complete Unknown a “new” review on RT, writing, “Timothée Chalamet offers an Oscar-worthy role in one of the films of 2024. “
In his “new” RT review, Los Angeles Times critic Joshua Rothkopf makes some pointed observations about Bob Dylan, writing: “Superfans are necessarily going to love this. It’s a film made with affection, but also with the wisdom that visionaries can rarely have. ” fools. “
Candice Frederick is among the film’s detractors on RT, writing in her “rotten” review for HuffPost: “A Complete Unknown never feels like a movie and in fact not like a biopic. It comes off as more of a mediocre fanfiction close to the film. ” to reality.
The Boston Globe’s Odie Henderson also gave a “rotten” review of A Complete Unknown, writing: “When it comes to developing those characters, we get bupkis. Baez calls Dylan a word that starts with “a” and ends with “hole. ” “. and it is the only personality trait that illuminates Chalamet’s portrait.
New York critic Richard Brody is also a fan of A Complete Unknown, writing in his “rotten” review on RT: “This kind of functionality is necessarily stunt work, as is the non-musical mimicry that accompanies it. However, because Because the film emphasizes the characters’ public faces, even in private, it does not require true emotional intensity or genuine diversity of expression.
A Complete Unknown is already an awards season contender, earning Best Picture nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, as well as Best Actor nominations from both organizations for Timothée Chalamet.
Rated R, A Complete Unknown opens in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.
A community. Many voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.
Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.
To do this, please comply with the posting regulations in our site’s terms of use. We summarize some of those key regulations below. In short, civilized.
Your message will be rejected if we notice that it appears to contain:
User accounts will be locked if we become aware that users are engaging in:
So, how can you be a power user?
Thank you for reading our Community Guidelines. Read the full list of publishing regulations discovered in our site’s terms of use.