There was a time when I was convinced the world needed my unique brand of charisma, humor, and, admittedly, questionable gaming skills. I christened my YouTube channel “Warlock of Wifi” and paired it with a Twitch account with the same name, thinking the synergy alone would catapult me into stardom. My first YouTube videos — gameplay videos of The Pig in Dead By Daylight — featured me getting a rare four kills in 22 minutes. I thought my self-deprecating humor and relentless optimism would win hearts, but the comments section was a barren. No one cared about some nobody, middle-aged dude with a Southern accent playing a video game.
Twitch was slightly kinder. I decided to stream Dead By Daylight for my debut, getting run around by the other players I was trying to kill in the name of The Entity, only to come up empty-handed more often than not. Halfway through, I accidentally crashed my PC and by the time I was back online, I had lost the viewers I attained in the three hours I had been streaming.
My peak audience was three viewers: one stranger, another account I owned “watching” from my iPad and a random bot offering “followers 4 sale.” After weeks of tireless effort and content that only I seemed to find engaging, I finally resigned myself to being like 99 percent of the people who stream: a complete unknown.
For a rare few, the journey from obscurity to stardom not only transforms their personal fortunes, but cements their status as a cultural and folk icon.
This is the story of Bob Dylan as depicted in the biographical drama, A Complete Unknown. Written by Jay Cocks and James Mangold, who also serves as director, the film draws inspiration from Elijah Wald’s 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties. Through a focused and somewhat selective lens, the narrative explores Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) early days, beginning with his arrival in New York City on a mission to meet his ailing idol, Woody Guthrie — a role imbued with quiet poignancy by Scoot McNairy.
The film chronicles Dylan’s encounters with the influential figures who shaped his meteoric rise. He strikes up a rapport with Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) as a blend of mentor and skeptic and forges a complicated relationship with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), capturing both their creative synergy and underlying tensions.
Along the way, Dylan interacts with key industry players, including his savvy future manager, Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler), loyal confidant, Bob Neuwirth (Will Harrison), and fictional muse, Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). These relationships weave a tapestry of his ascent, though the film leans more into the mythology surrounding Dylan than exploring the man behind it.
I understand that A Complete Unknown is a dramatic retelling of the life and times of Bob Dylan, crafted to emphasize the high points of his career. As is often the case with biographical dramas, the film shines a spotlight on the triumphs, glossing over the complexities of the lows unless they serve to highlight resilience. However, this film takes even greater liberties than many of its contemporaries.
Rather than offering a cohesive and nuanced portrait of Dylan, it skims the surface of his career, presenting a highlight reel of significant moments without pausing to flesh them out. The result is a narrative that feels rushed, sacrificing depth for the sake of moving quickly from one iconic moment to the next.
The second act of the film, which should delve deeply into Dylan’s controversial “electric” phase — a period rich with tension and artistic transformation — feels particularly underdeveloped. Instead of exploring the nuance and cultural impact of this shift, the film almost cartoonishly reduces it to a brief and superficial moment. The climax, centered on Dylan’s pivotal performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, captures the significance of the event, but misses the opportunity to dig into its emotional and cultural weight.
This was not just a defining moment in Dylan’s career, but a seismic shift in the music world, as Dylan’s choice to perform with an electric guitar symbolized a rebellion against tradition, angering many folk purists in attendance. While the film acknowledges this turning point, it fails to fully explore its ramifications, leaving it as little more than a checkpoint in Dylan’s story, rather than the richly layered event it was.
Timothée Chalamet brings Bob Dylan to life with a performance that feels as authentic as it is brilliant. Fully committed to the role, Chalamet spent five years preparing to embody the legendary folk singer, immersing himself in every detail of Dylan’s persona. He mastered the guitar, worked extensively with a dialect coach to perfect Dylan’s distinctive speech patterns, and honed his singing to capture the raw, nasally timbre that defined Dylan’s voice.
Beyond the technicalities, Chalamet embarked on a personal pilgrimage across the United States, visiting locations significant to Dylan’s life and career, soaking in the landscapes and atmospheres that shaped the icon’s artistry. His dedication is evident in every frame, as he doesn’t merely mimic Dylan but channels his essence, capturing the energy, quiet introspection and charisma that made Dylan a cultural phenomenon. Through Chalamet’s portrayal, Dylan feels less like a figure of legend and more like a living, breathing force on screen.
The supporting cast of A Complete Unknown delivers a series of standout performances that enrich the film’s tapestry. Edward Norton shines as Pete Seeger, portraying him as both a mentor and a cautious guardian of the folk tradition, delivering a compelling monologue in which he passionately pleads with Dylan to avoid disrupting the harmony of the Folk Festival. Monica Barbaro’s portrayal of Joan Baez introduces a layer of romantic tension that feels authentic, her chemistry with Chalamet crackling with a mix of admiration and inevitable heartbreak. Dan Fogler offers a humorous, almost larger-than-life take on Albert Grossman, injecting moments of levity as Dylan’s savvy yet eccentric manager. Boyd Holbrook provides a raw and riveting interpretation of Johnny Cash, capturing the man at one of his lowest points.
Meanwhile, Elle Fanning imbues her role as Sylvie Russo, a fictionalized version of Suze Rotolo, with deep sincerity. Her scenes bristle with heartbreak as she portrays a woman whose unwavering love for Dylan becomes her undoing, each interaction with him revealing another crack in her emotional armor. Together, the ensemble creates a vivid, multifaceted portrayal of the figures orbiting Dylan’s rise.
A Complete Unknown earns a solid four out of five stars, offering a compelling portrayal of Bob Dylan’s life that is elevated by its exceptional cast. From Edward Norton’s nuanced take on Pete Seeger to Elle Fanning’s heartbreaking turn as a fictionalized Suze Rotolo, the supporting players enrich the narrative and bring depth to Dylan’s journey. However, the film’s true standout is Timothée Chalamet, whose meticulous preparation and dedication shine through in every scene, capturing not just Dylan’s mannerisms but his spirit.
While the film is visually stunning and packed with memorable performances, it falters in its storytelling, skimming over pivotal moments with a detachment that makes it feel more like a dramatized Wikipedia entry than a fully realized exploration of Dylan’s complexities. Still, A Complete Unknown succeeds in illustrating how talent, drive and relentless ambition can propel someone to greatness — a message that resonates deeply.
In fact, it’s left me inspired to give my fledgling streamer career another shot, though I’m acutely aware I lack both Dylan’s raw charisma and his uncanny ability to captivate an audience.
Maybe that one guy is still selling followers.