My Brief History with Dylan and A Review : A Complete Unknown

Somehow I ended up seeing A Complete Unknown on Christmas. Oh, right - I have a 20 year old daughter and the film stars Timothee Chalamet. Cut to Paige & I pulling up to the big theater I like in Trumbull, CT with the reclining seats. We saw it early in the day and bought tickets at a discount. For $9, I was down and had no idea what to expect. What Bob Dylan songs did I know? The first thing that sprang to mind was Song for Bob Dylan on the Hunky Dory 1971 album by David Bowie.

I was a little too young for Dylan's music. He was not part of the soundtrack of my life like, say, Pearl Jam. But, I did see him in concert. I went to RFK stadium in Washington, DC with my two best friends from high school on Sunday, July 6, 1986. The show was Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead. It was my first time seeing the Dead and I was not wise to the ways of the Deadheads. Hence, I ended up getting my hand stamped and seeing trails during the entire concert (IYKYK). But, I was definitely there. I found a copy of the ticket. What I remember most about the show was that the Dead came out once the sun was going down and when I saw Jerry Garcia with his big white beard, I said, "He's just a big rocking Santa Claus!"

Other than that one experience, I didn't know all that much about Bob Dylan. So let's get into the movie. I was going to say how nice it was to see New York City in the early 1960s, but director James Mangold (Wolverine, Logan; Girl, Interrupted) actually shot the film in New Jersey. Ok. I'll get over that. I liked how the film displayed the true power of the Greenwich Village at the time. Everyone seemed so cool. Hipsters were just hanging around and going to see each other play music. In fact, when the film first showed the Gaslight - I was half expecting Susie Myerson from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to be the bartender.

***SPOILERS***

Unlike a lot of other "music" themed movies, the strength of this film is there is actually a lot of Bob Dylan's music IN the movie. It's enjoyable to watch Chalamet emulate Dylan composing his songs. I also loved how they portrayed Joan Baez and their relationship. What a twist to see a super successful WOMAN at that time. She was strong. She spoke her mind. She was/is an authentic talent. Bravo to actress Monica Barbaro on a wonderful performance and lovely voice.

In music folklore, I was certainly aware of Bob Dylan "going electric" at the Newport Folk Festival. I didn't really understand what it meant in cultural history until this story as Mangold tells it. My favorite part of the film hands down was Dylan's relationship with Johnny Cash. I loved the care and attention paid to that important relationship. It's no wonder this relationship is so well spelled out as Mangold also directed the Oscar-winning film Walk the Line about Johnny Cash. I love, love that movie and have watched it many times.

What I appreciated the most about A Complete Unknown was that this film takes its time to show the audience what's going on. You feel something through the music. That is an achievement. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed this film. Do I think Timothee Chalamet will be nominated for an Oscar? Yes. Will he win? I'm not sure. Will there be other Oscars for this film - maybe ? The Golden Globes are quickly approaching and I'll be interested to see how A Complete Unknown does.