Now available on digital is the Bob Dylan biopic film, A Complete Unknown. The film will be available on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD April 1, 2025.
A Complete Unknown is nominated for eight (8) Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director James Mangold and Best Actor Timothée Chalamet.
The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. Also staring is Elle Fanning, Ed Norton, Monica Barbaro, Dan Fogler and many others. It’s released by Searchlight Pictures.
Normally I would write my own movie synopsis, but I feel like the official one is more direct and to the point. I tend to ramble a bit, and I’m always afraid I’ll give away too many details. I’m assuming if you are a Bob Dylan fan and/or a fan of that music era, you probably know most of the details as it is.
New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide. Timothée Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, the electric true story behind the rise of one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history. The film also stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about Bob Dylan. If someone asked me point blank to share what I know about Bob Dylan (prior to seeing this film), I’d say he seemed like a bit of an odd ball, played the guitar, had crazy hair and sang the song “Like a Rolling Stone.”
Before watching this film I looked up some of his music to see if I was family with anything else. I was surprised to see he sand “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” I knew Guns and Roses sang that song, and it was a remake. I didn’t know that Bob Dylan sang the original.
Timothée Chalamet, in my opinion, is a chameleon, just like Johnny Depp. He just doesn’t act in a role – he fully becomes the person he’s portraying. Does that make sense? I have seen Chalamet in several films (Dune 1 & 2, Wonka, Little Women, Bones and All, Call Me by Your Name) and in each role he totally embraces the character, for the very strange (Bones and All and Wonka), to more serious roles.
I was equally impressed by his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Like I said, I didn’t know much about Bob Dylan, but he seems to embrace every nuance of Bob Dylan and literally brought him to life on screen. I wouldn’t be shocked if he won Best Actor at the Academy Awards this Sunday (March 2, 2025). We’ll see…
I didn’t know that Bob Dylan knew other great musicians of that time in music history, such as Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash. I am not familiar with their music either. I was born in the late 60’s and grew up listening to disco and 80’s music. Not really known much about the other characters, from a viewers standpoint I think all the actors did an exceptional job.
This music no doubt has a great soundtrack. Of course it would, it’s all about the people and the music that they made. Even though I didn’t know much prior to watching this film, there were some songs I found to my liking and have added to one of my Spotify playlists.
I love how the film makers turned back the hands of time and brought to life a bygone era with the fashions, music, furniture… everything.
Overall I really liked this film a lot – a lot more than I thought I would. I would definitely watch it again.
This film is rated R and has a run time of two hours and twenty minutes. I feel like that was a bit too long (under two hours would have been fine for me).
There will be come bonus content that may vary by product and retailer.
Bonus Feature
- The Making of A Complete Unknown
- The Story
- Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan
- The Supporting Cast
- The Design
- Audio Commentary by James Mangold
Be sure to check out the film and Searchlight Pictures on social media too.
Instagram: @ACompleteUnknown, @SearchlightPics
TikTok: @SearchlightPics
Facebook: @SearchlightPics
X: @SearchlightPics
Threads: @SearchlightPics
Youtube: @SearchlightPictures
You can also see what other people are saying about the film by looking up the hashtag #AcompleteUnknown.
Below is the film’s official trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free copy of this film in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
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