A Complete Unknown
Directed by James MangoldIn 1961, an unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City with his guitar and forges relationships with musical icons on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking performance that reverberates around the world.
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A Complete Unknown Ratings & Reviews
- benjr66December 3, 2025Spectacular biopic on a brilliant musician and poet. Must see.
- Michael SurberMarch 29, 2025Utterly fantastic. Timothee Chalumet absolutely nails Bob Dylan here but he is surrounded by a stellar cast in this one. If you know your music history, this biopic hits all the highlights of his rise to fame. Do not miss it. Even if you aren't a fan already, it is still the best way to spend your next 2+ hours. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
- Tronix.September 18, 2025I love movies, particularly when they make sense and are done well. I watch them all the time, some more than once, few, more than that. This is one of the latter. I bought only two movies to keep forever in the last two decades. This movie is one of them. I think that says it all.
- dstigueSeptember 12, 2025Great acting. Think it captured the time well enough.
- Scott SeifertMarch 16, 2025Good movie even if it’s 30 minutes too long.
- Jeff EspinozaMarch 31, 2025I knew nothing about Bob Dylan before watching this and still don’t feel like I know Bob Dylan after watching this. I have no idea what he believed, where he came from or why he makes music. I left feeling indifferent towards him and his music.
- S JohnsonFebruary 27, 2025Not usually a fan of biopics, but this one is very very good—well-cast and beautifully executed. Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton deserve Oscar nods (and maybe even Norton over Chalamet)
- cultfilmlikerMarch 4, 2025So was Bob Dylan NOT on heroin this whole time!? I took everything at face value and didn’t hate it but music biopics are so cliché it’s gotta have something pretty spectacular or at least unique about it nowadays. Just feels like a tough project with the selected cast and characters. That said, I do think the entire supporting cast does a very good job with what they’re given. However, I don’t think Mangold does anything exceptional tho he is adept. Timothee sings great and does a great impersonation but I can’t help but feel Cate Blanchett may have done it better. A nice ending but it doesn’t fully redeem a lackluster film imo
- saverio87September 4, 2025Elle Fanning top
- pipanniJuly 28, 2025A very entertaining movie about Dylan and his early rise to stardom. I would like to know more about the man himself but I guess his personality is just as secretive as the movie portrays it. Great performances all around.
- adam3199July 26, 2025Watched this and went out and bought a bob Dylan Vinyl LP for $85AUD
- qmechanMarch 6, 2025Chalamet plays Dylan with flair And a grounded performance. How rare! From folk superstar to electric guitar But he lost out to Brody. Unfair?
- Luke EricksonJuly 14, 2025The acting was good but the story seemed all over the place. The music was also great but not enough to save it.
- daveg63July 7, 2025A true classic.
- Kevin WardJuly 1, 2025Timothée Chalamet is, in a word… electric. Timothée Chalamet delivers a transformative performance as the enigmatic and iconic Bob Dylan. The film's superb song mixes—whether it's Chalamet singing, digital wizardry, or a seamless blend of both—are absolutely convincing. Monica Barbaro is utterly captivating as Joan Baez, while Boyd Holbrook steals every scene as the rebellious Johnny Cash. The film covers the genesis of his early folk career and crescendos toward Dylan's 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance where he famously ‘went electric.’ The film explores the tension between artistic creativity and commodity. I must admit, I walked away loving the performances but not fully vibing with the film's focus on Dylan's "going electric." However, having sat with it for a while—and struggling through writing my full review—I've come to deeply appreciate what it says about art, artistry, and the forces that try to contain them. It's a compelling exploration of artistry in a culture that increasingly rewards familiarity over innovation, urging audiences to consider their own complicity in stifling artistic growth. The film mirrors Dylan himself in many ways—elusive, challenging, and defiant. Mangold resists the temptation to fully decode Dylan, instead crafting a film that remains as enigmatic as its subject. Like Dylan's bold decision at Newport, A Complete Unknown almost refuses to "play the hits," offering a meditation on artistic reinvention rather than just a 'remake' or 'almost-sequel' of the genre-defining Walk the Line. Whether it resonates will depend on how much you're willing to embrace its spirit of evolution. Plus....Mangold does kinda still get to play the hits, though.
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A Complete Unknown Trivia
A Complete Unknown was released on December 25, 2024.
A Complete Unknown was directed by James Mangold.
A Complete Unknown has a runtime of 2 hr 20 min.
A Complete Unknown was produced by Timothée Chalamet, Fred Berger, James Mangold, Alan Gasmer, Bob Bookman, Peter Jaysen, Alex Heineman, Jeff Rosen.
The key characters in A Complete Unknown are Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning).
A Complete Unknown is rated R.
A Complete Unknown is a Biography, Drama, Music film.
A Complete Unknown has an audience rating of 9.5 out of 10.