Johnny Cash?
No, that's the Man in Black. But he is a character in A Complete Unknown, which is what I'm about to review. That's where you'll get acquainted with the actual Man in the Long Black Coat, Bob Dylan.
I think this is a clunky joke.
You're right, Bo.
We meet Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) as he hitches a ride to New York in 1961. He wants to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who is being hospitalized with Huntington's Disease. He happens upon Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) the day he visits and impresses them both with his literal Song to Woody. Seeger gives Bob his big break in the folk music scene, where he becomes the voice of his generation. But Bob wants to expand his horizons beyond the folk music industry. That leads him to using electric instruments at the Newport Music Festival, which is the climax of the movie.
Spoilers, Jethro!
I know, but you'd know it already if you read Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, the book that director James Mangold and Jay Cocks used for their screenplay. It's a lot more conventional than I'm Not There, the 2007 biopic that had Bob played by six different characters and actors, including Cate Blanchett (weird movie, I know). Let's focus a bit on the Newport climax. Either I'm missing something, or Bob's decision to go electric suddenly comes up in conversation amongst the festival committee. While the electric numbers are showstoppers, the acoustic finale seems depressing with how defeated Bob looks the whole time (is it just me?).
Bob's decision to go electric wasn't popular in real life, but the musical performances are exactly that. Chalamet's musicality renders each song delightfully fresh; you might feel the urge to sing along yourself when Bob whips out The Times They Are A-Changin. He's not the only musical star here, as we still have Johnny Cash. Cash (Boyd Holbrook) is quite likable as a musical bad boy and prospective mentor, particularly when he drunkenly encourages Bob to go electric at Newport. Holbrook's musicality is just as dynamic as Joaquin Phoenix's turn as the Man in Black in Walk the Line (also directed by Mangold!).
Off-stage, we sympathize with Bob as he's trapped by his own image. He doesn't want to be stuck singing covers, or his greatest hits, over-and-over again for all eternity. That's quite understandable. He has some good chemistry with his two love interests, Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) - the latter of whom is a renamed Suze Rotolo - even as he gets unlikable. He frustrates Sylvie with his aloofness and mysterious, if not embellished, past. He aggravates Joan with his ego, but at least he admits that she's right when she calls him out for it. Both of Bob's leading ladies are compelling, though Sylvie nearly storming out of Newport in heartbreak gives her a slight edge.
Norton never drops his folksy attitude as Seeger. That's what makes him likable, even sympathetic, when he reluctantly tries to get the Newport sound guys to cut off Bob. His wife, Toshi (Eriko Hatsune), has her time to shine at Newport when she wordlessly gets him to back off. He has some great chemistry with Guthrie, who by this point, is rendered mute by Huntington's and would eventually die from it in 1967. McNairy, then, does a great job acting with just body language. A few other actors are surprisingly unrecognizable in their roles; it took me until now to realize that it's Norbert Leo Butz as Alan Lomax, the founder of the Newport festival and the most antagonistic towards Bob's electric plans.
Let's highlight the technical stars, starting with the Oscar-shortlisted sound designers. Besides the excellent musical performances, they show off their prowess when they build up New York's hustle and bustle. One standout scene has Bob spend the night with Joan just as the Cuban Missile Crisis starts. There's chaos in the streets as everyone tries to go anywhere else; the next morning, the crisis is over, and all is calm. Great contrast, even if it makes the crisis a lot shorter than it actually was.
That aforementioned scene is also a standout moment for editors Andrew Buckland & Scott Morris. Another highlight is the Newport Climax, and not just for electrifying Bob's electric numbers. They build up the crowd's resulting animosity so much that you'd think they'd riot. A few fights happen, though no riot, but the tension is still great. Meanwhile, the opening shot by cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, where Bob rides across a bridge, is alluring in its serenity. I can go on, but I can't.
At 142 minutes, A Complete Unknown feels quite long, but those musical numbers make their waits worth it. It's not only a good introduction to Bob Dylan's life, but an excellent introduction to most of the other musical acts featured here. There is not a single sour note amongst any of its musical performances. You'll get plenty of musical goodness when you check out A Complete Unknown at your nearest theater. I think that it might be a memorable way to start the New Year.
Here's hoping that 2025 won't be that bad, after all.
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