Music biopics by no means appear to exit of fashion, though they’re hardly ever excellent as a result of most of them have a tendency to inform the identical story. A musician/band will get found, rises to recognition, experiences hassle at their peak as a consequence of (insert intercourse/medication/alcohol/ego), and both finds a measure of redemption as soon as they’ve been sufficiently humbled or dies as a consequence of their lack of management.
Paradoxically, what few music biopics fail to do is correctly showcase the music that made the individual well-liked within the first place, a mistake that A Full Unknown doesn’t repeat, changing into a smashing success within the course of. The movie follows Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) over a roughly four-year interval from when he first arrived in New York Metropolis in 1961 to his then-revolutionary electrical set on the Newport Folks Pageant in 1965.
Dylan seeks out well-known people singers Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and an ailing Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) when he first arrives, with Seeger taking him underneath his wing. Dylan begins to ascertain himself within the native membership scene along with his distinctive songwriting voice, assembly fellow singer Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), with whom he begins an on-and-off relationship. As his recognition grows, his response is antithetical to what’s anticipated, as he hardly ever engages with followers and focuses on his subsequent tune(s) as an alternative of those for which he turned recognized.
Directed by James Mangold (Stroll the Line) and written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, the movie will not be a lot of a revelation for Dylan superfans, however for informal followers or those that know nothing about him, it is without doubt one of the handiest music biopics in current reminiscence, if not ever. Not solely does Mangold monitor the musical evolution of Dylan, however he offers the complete context of the individuals who influenced him most, together with Guthrie, Seeger, Baez, and extra.
The movie will not be a musical within the conventional sense, however the quantity of music in it makes it the subsequent neatest thing. Not often does various minutes go by earlier than somebody is singing, both on stage, for somebody near them, or as a part of the songwriting course of. Whether or not you’re a people music fan or not, the best way the style is showcased within the movie will make you consider in its energy and why it was so well-liked at that exact time limit.
Dylan is known for his enigmatic persona, and Mangold does an excellent job of sustaining that elusiveness whereas nonetheless exploring what drove Dylan early in his profession. His relationships with Baez and the fictional Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) give him some dimension, however why he frequently went back-and-forth between them (or why they put up with him) is simply flippantly explored. The movie retains a lot of the drama centered on the music, and it’s this determination that makes it as compelling as it’s.
Chalamet has been “The Subsequent Huge Factor” since his Oscar nomination for Name Me By Your Title, however the mixture of the Duneseries, Wonka, and now this has firmly established him because the star he’s. His Dylan impersonation (together with singing) is subtle-yet-clear, and he has the cool issue that makes him utterly plausible within the position. The supporting solid can also be off-the-charts good, with Norton and Barbaro making the very best circumstances for awards discover.
Whereas 2024 has had its justifiable share of nice films, A Full Unknown — on this critic’s opinion — ought to now be the favourite to win Greatest Image at subsequent yr’s Oscars. It bucks the development of mediocre music biopics by giving moviegoers the transporting feeling of what it was prefer to expertise Dylan’s meteoric rise, and why his early songs stay so indelible.
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A Full Unknown is now enjoying in theaters.
