This year's Best Picture Nominations included "A Complete Unknown" which also earned acting nominations for Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan who did his own singing. Chalamet's singing was pleasing. but please, he never sounded anything like Dylan. Nor did he resemble Dylan in any resounding manner. These are not what I take issue with in this lightly entertaining movie that failed to convey Dylan's persona, his mindset or his imperative creative drive. Dylan is the only songwriter to ever be awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Literature. (He also famously refused to receive this esteemed honor). Nonetheless, he is arguably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of the 20th C. Still, Dylan remains a recluse and mystery to the masses. Whether director James Mangold may have intended for Dylan's character to be portrayed enigmatically as his portrayal left me adrift. Forrest Gump displayed more emotion and direction than Dylan's character. The time span for this biopic pic was 1961 - 65, culminating in a calamitous time in our nation's civil rights movement. Though Joan Baez (Monica Barbara in an Oscar nominated performance) managed to contend with society's racial clashes in addition to pursuing her singing career. Dylan's only defiance was his refusal to play another rendition of "Blowing in the Wind" at The Newport Food Festival in '65 and his using an amped up rock band and electric guitar on stage. Seems the liberal minded fans of folk music felt their music sacrosanct; anything other than acoustic guitar strictly taboo. And Dylan was infamously booed by the crowd who were privy to his first live performance of "Like a Rolling Stone." The talented ensemble cast included Ed Norton as a very conscientious Pete Seeger and a teary eyed Elle Fanning as Dylan's girlfriend prior to his fame and won't take blame for standing in his way. The film plays out like a long MTV video (music videos were popular in the 80s decades after folk music fell out of favor. Overall, I enjoyed the music. I liked seeing the styles and the look of the film set in Manhattan in the early 60s. But, this movie didn't move me or enlighten me on an icon whose legacy will live on through his music. "A Complete Unknown" was easy savory but not satiating. I was left drifting in the wind. Dylan wisely said, "Don't criticize what you can't understand." He also said, "All I can be is me-whoever that is."
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