By Anne T. Donahue
Yesterday, the trailer for A Complete Unknown finally dropped and started to finally answer the question: do we really need Timothee Chalamet to star in a Bob Dylan biopic?
The film, directed by James Mangold, charts wee Bob’s rise from his early days in New York City to the moment he went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The trailer sees Timmy doing his ‘ol Dylan best and features a cover of “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” sung by Timothee himself. A Complete Unknown opens in December, I will be going to see it, and I’m just as scared about the entire project as you are.
And bless everybody’s hearts, but this trailer did not appease any or all of my worries. To start, Timothee Chalamet singing sounds like Timothee Chalamet singing, and while I would buy one million physical copies of “Tiny Horse” (volumes 1 and 2) featured in his episodes of SNL, there is no part of me naïve enough to believe that Bob Dylan and Timothee Chalamet have even close to the same cadence. Would I like to hear Timothee Chalamet sing Bob Dylan? No, but that’s because most of the time, I don’t even want to hear Bob Dylan singing Bob Dylan. (I respect him, I promise! I just like other artists more!) Would I like to hear Timothee sing in general? Absolutely, but like I previously mentioned: “Tiny Horse.” Do I think we need a new Bob Dylan biopic at all? Let’s get a grip. In 2007, we were graced with the odd and intriguing I’m Not Here, and through it we were given the only depiction of Bob Dylan that matters, courtesy of Cate Blanchett.
Plus, and I say this with all the love in my heart: no thank you.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mangold explained that when asked by Dylan what the film would be about, Mangold explained that “It’s about a guy who’s choking to death in Minnesota, and leaves behind all his friends and family and reinvents himself in a brand new place, builds a new family, becomes phenomenally successful, starts to choke to death again – and runs away.” Sir, with all due respect, that is most people’s post-high school experience. (Or: any offering about the triumph and tragedy of achieving one’s dreams only to realize they do not fill the void inside of you. See: The Valley.) The early days of Bob Dylan are interesting, absolutely, but our dear Chalamet is still serving Lawrie from Little Women in that he is a precious treasure that absolutely screams, “I have the face of a person who grew up using an iPhone.”
Which is fine! It’s great! Timothee Chalamet is a fine actor who does great work! Who would’ve thought he’d be dazzling in Wonka? (Not me, and I was proven egregiously wrong!) Did we not all love him in Dune(s)? (Yes!) But just because we can make a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee doesn’t mean we should make a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee. I thought Inside Llewyn Davis was our generation’s answer to a decent Dylan tribute, and it seems like A Complete Unknown not only fails captures the reluctant, old-ish soul persona of a young Dylan, it, unlike Llewyn Davis, also fails to feature a gorgeous cat.
But prove me wrong, Timothee. Prove me wrong, A Complete Unknown! Prove me wrong, everybody who watched the trailer and thought, “This is cinema”! If I’m not right, I swear* to you, I will eat my hait. (*Provided, of course, said hat is the very one worn by Timothee Chalamet pretending to be Bob Dylan.)
A Complete Unknown, which stars Timothee Chalamet as iconic folk and rock musician Bob Dylan, also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro, and was directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line), who cowrote the script with Jay Cocks. The film does not yet have a specific release date, but it will begin playing in theatres in December 2024, per a release.
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