Not since Jamie Foxx’s performance as Ray Charles have I seen a musical biopic performance as real & as powerful as Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟). We all now have enough evidence at this point: we are witnessing a generational actor’s career unfold before our eyes. My friends were complaining the other day about how forced & unnecessary biopics feel in Hollywood today. They’re not totally wrong. But like I told them: the purpose of the biopic has always been & will always be the performances. And Timothée Chalamet reminds us all of that here. Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan needs to be considered a quintessential biopic performance that all of us will look back on in the coming years.
Those of you who’ve followed me long enough already know how annoying I am when it comes to director James Mangold (@mang0ld). I would take a bullet for this guy. From 3:10 to Yuma to Ford vs. Ferrari to Logan, I’ve always sworn by James Mangold. He’s a throwback director who belongs in the ‘70s. His films have so much heart & A Complete Unknown is no exception. Mangold’s brilliant direction & his decisiveness is a massive reason why Chalamet shines in this film.
For example, Mangold’s decision to abbreviate the telling of Bob Dylan’s life from just 1961 to 1965 is incredibly effective. Mangold says “here- take this one piece, this one bite, this one chunk” and that one bite will tell you the whole story. I wish more directors chose to make biopics this focused. Not only that, Mangold does a great job taking us back to the ‘60s. He actually recreates New York- there are no soundstages or blue screens here. This is how filmmaking should be done.
Next to Mangold is an improbably strong cast. I love Edward Norton. He is an all-time favorite actor of mine. He shines in this film. As does Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning. There isn’t a single actor who enters the frame in this picture and doesn’t shine if I’m being honest. Everyone understood the assignment- everyone knew what the mission was here. And that mission was creating a platform for Chalamet to succeed.
Consider the mission achieved because Chalamet is simply outstanding. I had my doubts about Chalamet coming into this for a few reasons. I didn’t love the Dylan accent from Chalamet in the trailers & as Edward Norton put it, no one should even try to play Bob Dylan. But Chalamet nails it. He nails the performance set pieces and he feels believable as Dylan the Performer. As Dylan the Person, Chalamet is raw but incredibly measured. Chalamet somehow avoids the overacting pitfalls that come with playing an icon so distinct as Bob Dylan. There were many opportunities for Chalamet to do too much here, and he avoids them all.
Everything about Chalamet’s career excites me. This has to be what it felt like when DiCaprio or De Niro’s careers first took off. Chalamet’s endured tremendous expectations throughout the start of his career & he has exceeded those expectations at every turn. I cannot give him enough praise & I cannot wait to see what he does next.
A Complete Unknown is one of my favorite films of the year.