Tribute films have become increasingly common lately, but their quality varies considerably. The overall success really depends on how truthful and detailed they are, and those elements can change quite a bit from one film to another. James Mangold’s portrayal of Bob Dylan, brought to life by Timothée Chalamet, is an example of this mixed bag. While the movie seems to handle authenticity reasonably well, it falls short in terms of substance, especially considering its lengthy 2 hour and 21-minute running time – which should have been enough space to cover the most important aspects of his story. “A Complete Unknown” traces Dylan’s journey from arriving in New York City in 1961, where he quickly became a sensation in Greenwich Village, through his rise as an emerging music industry icon, and culminating with his controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when he switched from acoustic to electric guitar—a change that sparked mixed reactions but propelled him into new musical territory. The film also includes glimpses of his personal life, such as his friendships with Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), alongside passionate relationships with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). Unfortunately, a lot of the story feels like a collection of scenes meant to showcase Dylan’s and his peers' most popular songs. While the actors do a capable job performing them, it eventually begins to feel more like an anthology of music videos than a deep biography. Dylan’s character comes across as largely mysterious, which is said to be true to his actual personality, but doesn’t really offer much insight into who he is—aside from frequently portraying him as someone difficult to get along with (despite the meaningful social activism in his songs). This candid, if somewhat unflattering, approach almost makes you question whether a figure like Dylan deserves such a tribute, even if the movie itself is well-made. It’s ironic how this reinforces the meaning of the film's title, whether intentional or not. Overall, it’s an acceptable tribute biography with generally good performances (particularly Elle Fanning, who really deserved supporting actress recognition over her more celebrated co-star) and impressive production values that capture the period accurately, along with a great soundtrack—if you’re a dedicated Dylan fan, which I'm not. But does this film truly deserve all the awards season buzz it has received? That seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but given how weak the field of 2024 award contenders is, the choices have been limited. Fans of Dylan will likely be pleased with this movie, while others are more inclined to simply shrug and move on to something else.

Source on TMDB