“A COMPLETE UNKNOWN”
Starting Timothee Chalamet, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Scott McNairy
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald
Directed by James Mangold
Produced by Frederick Berger, James Mangold, Alex Heineman, Bob Bookman, Peter Jaysen, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen and Timothee Chalamet
Cinematography by Phedon Papamichael
Edited by Andrew Buckland and Scott Morris
Songs by Bob Dylan

By Matt Neufeld
Dec. 24, 2024

James Mangold’s instant classic “A Complete Unknown” is easily, on every filmic level, the best film of 2024.

Timothee Chalamet is an astounding, amazing revelation and inspiration as the young Bob Dylan, instantly jumping far out front as the frontrunner for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards; director James Mangold delivers yet another stellar, inspired and completely in-control performance in directing this riveting, powerful early Sixties period film; Edward Norton is also inspiring as Pete Seeger; a host of supporting actors deliver equally stellar performances; the journalistic research and documentation that Mangold, Chalamet and the producers meticulously conducted to get the story historically accurate is thoroughly impressive and contributes greatly to the overall quality and realness of the film; the army of set designers, production designers, art directors, construction workers, property masters and hair and make-up artists deserve every award for amazingly recreating early 1960s locations such as Greenwich Village, recording studios, dingy Village bohemian apartments, recording studio offices, folk festivals, clubs and diners and bars, and so much more; and Mangold and Jay Cocks, who wrote the film, based on a biographical book about Dylan’s early years, deliver a down-to-earth, heavily-historically-based, well-researched, well-documented, and generally upbeat script that presents its main characters, including Dylan, Joan Baez, Seeger, Johnny Cash, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Woody Guthrie and many others from the Sixties folk and rock and country and blues scenes, as real, actual, relatable people–who just happen to be immensely talented–and not the usual bio film cookie-cutter cliches; and the musical performances are simply amazingly, breathtakingly, absolutely electric and electrifying—-pun intended.

This film should receive major Academy Award nominations for Chalamet for Best Actor; Mangold as Best Director; the various producers, including Chalamet, for Best Picture; and the aforementioned creative crews for hair, make-up, musical score, art direction and other creative awards.

For the record, the lead actors, including Chalamet and Norton, actually sang and played their instruments in the film—singing and playing live on the set, often with recreations of the actual microphones, guitars and other gear that was actually used by Dylan, Baez, Seeger, Cash, Neuwirth and others in the early Sixties. As noted, Chalamet, Norton and everyone else just bring it all home on a consistently high-performance creative level, acting-wise and musically, throughout the film. All of the lead actors’ musical work in the film is just exceptional.

This holiday season, go out to the theaters and see, and enjoy, “A Complete Unknown”—-it’s the best film of 2024. How does it feel? It feels exceptionally well. The answer, my friends, will blow you away at the movies.

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