A Complete Unknown: Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan was praised by critics

Timothée Chalamet has been praised by critics for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in a new film biopic of the American singer-songwriter.

A complete unknown Already received three Golden Globe nominations. And is likely to be in the Oscar race in the new year.

The Guardian said that Chalamet showed “amazing bravery” in his performance, while Empire said that the actor is “brilliant” and that his “musical abilities are unsurpassed”.

But The Independent said the biopic itself “plays too safe” and ScreenRant described the “serviceable” film as a “charming but disappointing” portrait.

A Complete Unknown is released on Christmas Day in the US and January 17 in the UK.

Dylan himself endorsed the film. Although he hadn’t actually seen it when he posted about it on X last week.

“Timmy’s a great actor so I’m sure he’ll be as completely believable as me. Or younger than me. Or anyone else,” Dylan said.

In its three-star review, said The Independent’s Clarice Loughrey The film “takes a respectful stand for Dylan’s artistry, filled with technically accomplished musical performances”.

Chalamet’s voice is “not perfect, but it’s undeniably impressive”, he said, adding that the film is “shot with real sensitivity to the emotional landscape of each track”.

The film is based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!

Set in the early 1960s, it tells the story of Dylan’s rise to fame, and the conflict between his folk roots and his desire to expand his repertoire to include rock ‘n’ roll.

Friction is represented by his choice between using an acoustic and an electric guitar, and Dylan’s lyrics gradually become bolder and more reflective of the world he sees around him.

The film climaxes with a famously chaotic performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where Dylan was booed by some audience members for playing an electric set with an amplified band.

Deadline is complimented by Pat Hammond. The film’s production design, costumes and cinematography as well as its lead performance.

“At the center of it all is a remarkable performance by Chalamet, who himself delivers all the songs in a surprising and authentic way. There is no lip service or mixing of voices between performer and subject,” he noted.

“Certainly the music is worth the price of admission, but Mangold luckily has more to add, making Bob Dylan little less than a complete unknown by the time the credits roll.”

The film also follows Dylan’s romantic relationships with two women in particular – civil rights activist Sylvie Russo (played by Elle Fanning) and folk musician Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

Screen Rant’s Mae Abdul Baki gave a glimpse: “I could understand both women more clearly than Chalamet’s Dylan. Behind his sunglasses and stiff body language, Dylan remains brooding.

“The film is very much about an artist who doesn’t define himself, and I have a lot of respect for that, but it also creates an emotional connection in the form of a narrative. By keeping Dylan out of reach, Mangold That is the danger.”

There was a rave review. From the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, who awarded the film five stars and praised Chalamet’s “funny and endearing portrayal”.

“Interestingly, the story, despite the classic music biopic tropes that Mangold did so much to popularize, doesn’t follow the classic rise-fall-learn-experience-comeback format,” he said. It’s all growing, but confused and unclear.”

The Times’ Kevin Maher was less enthusiastic. Awarding only two stars

“There will be audiences who will consider the recreation of Newport ’65 a memorable cinematic event. But for many it will land with a big shoulder of indifference,” he noted.

“[Chalamet’s] The performance is an unhelpful study in blank-eyed Lockjaw minimalism, while his singing sounds fine if, at times, close to parody (but all Dylan imitators sound like parody).

With an iconic back catalog spanning seven decades, Dylan is best known for hits such as Blown in the Wind, Mr. Tambourine Man, It’s Not Me Baby, Girl from the North Country and The Times The RA Channing.

“Perhaps Dylan himself is too much of a figure for a biopic to fully capture him.” The Telegraph’s Ruby Cullen wrote In a four star review. “A complete unknown comes as close as one can reasonably hope for.

“For the most part, the film plays out more like a juicy climax-to-power drama than a natural tour of an artist’s Wikipedia page.”

elsewhere, Nick Curtis of the Evening Standard joked. The film made him “really, really want to learn to play the harmonica”.

Curtis noted that “it’s a deeply unlikable performance, miles away from Chalamet’s romantic leads.”

“He captured Dylan’s crooning stance and the way he used hair and sunglasses as a mask, the insistent resonance and deep and strange, touching, ambiguity of his speaking and singing voice. “

A Complete Unknown also stars Edward Norton and is directed by James Mangold, the filmmaker behind the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and films in the X-Men and Indiana Jones franchises.

The Hollywood Reporter David Rooney added: “Admirably, neither the film nor the actors sugarcoat the abrasiveness of a creative genius whose indifference to those closest to him often contrasts sharply with the humanity in his songs.”

“This detachment leaves some holes where Mangold and Jay Cox’s screenplay should have had the emotional center. Making a film about a mysterious subject is natural. The challenge is and the author deserves credit for refusing to try to solve the mystery of Bob Dylan, even if it risks doing so. If it does, they seem curious.”

Empire’s John Nugent concluded: “Frustratingly, for a story about poetic genius, it struggles to find something fresh to say.

“There are some interesting things about the load of talent… but by 1965 he is almost always behind sunglasses, his mystery clear.

“The film doesn’t pretend to understand Dylan, and suggests that maybe Dylan doesn’t even understand himself. The title seems literal.”