Warning: May contain some spoilers
“It’s been over 50 years since I first heard Blowin’ in the Wind,” an elderly man said next to me at the movies Tuesday night, “and it’s never sounded better.” With over 600 songs released and 40 albums recorded, Bob Dylan is one of the most influential and prolific artists of our time, and one who’s very close to my heart. So upon first hearing about his biopic A Complete Unknown starring Timothee Chalamet, I was skeptical to say the least. Over the past few years there’s been a flurry of musical biopics that all tackle a common issue: bringing a new perspective to the lives of figures we’ve heard about over and over. Elvis, Back to Black, One Love, Elton John, you name it. But as I sat back and watched the opening scene, a young Dylan alone in Greenwich Village, something told me this would be different.
If you know anything about Bob Dylan, you know that he was infamous for blurring the lines between truth and myth, especially when it came to his own childhood and upbringing. The same could be said about the way in which the storyline unfolds. While some events are dramatized and others entirely made-up, you can’t help but feel it was very reminiscent of his own spirit. The part that caught me by surprise the most, and what I felt was the soul of the movie was actually the music. While Dylan’s music is nearly impossible to recreate, there was a charm in the music that echoed the original and definitely exceeded my expectations. I thought Chalamet did a particularly good job replicating the sound (perhaps not the intimacy) of the songs, creating an organic feel. A compelling character in the movie worth mentioning though is Monica Barbaro’s fantastic portrayal of Joan Baez (who by the way is very deserving of her own biopic) whose character was a large part of the movie’s development. Her voice is brilliant and it was fascinating to explore a character with such a layered relationship with Dylan. Hands down, for me the highlight of the movie was their duet of “It Ain't' Me Babe.” While it’s certainly a daunting task to recreate such an iconic performance, their rendition sent chills down my spine. So if you haven’t listened to it I would definitely urge you to trust me on that.
Another important note is that the movie is based on a book by Elijah Wald titled, Dylan goes Electric which dives into his switch from more traditional folk music into an increasingly modern sound using electric instruments. In fact, Dylan was famously booed and called “Judas” during his 1966 performance of, “Like a Rolling Stone” for his apparent betrayal. The folk community felt as if Dylan was turning his back on them, but even more famously Dylan responded by telling his band to, “play it loud.” While this may sound like the climax of the movie, it’s actually closer to a conclusion. Dylan’s constant refusal to conform to what others wanted from him is ultimately the culminating takeaway of the movie, as it ends with him riding away from the festival “free.”
So while Dylan might’ve never been fully liberated of the constant expectation that plagued him throughout his career, it certainly makes for a good movie. For those who aren’t familiar with his music, I’d encourage you to watch it. For those who are, allow yourself to be surprised and open to different interpretations. It’s what Dylan himself would want.
As a fellow musician myself, I used to invite Mr. Dylan to my "freak-off" parties. We used to call him Sprayer Bob.