The Unfettered Critic – February 2025

A PERSON’S LIFE runs from the birth canal to the burial ground. So when deciding to write a biopic about that life, at what point should a screenwriter jump in? Is everything notable? Or is one period of that character’s life most deserving of examination?

The creators of the biopic A Complete Unknown chose to enter their story in 1961, just as an unknown kid carrying a guitar arrives in New York City. The choice makes sense, because it was that timely arrival that makes the character’s launch into fame possible. The kid introduces himself as “Bob Dylan,” a nom-de-plume that Minnesota-born Robert Zimmerman chose in hopes of kindling a musical future.

Bob’s immediate intention is to meet his hero, folksinger and social activist Woody Guthrie, whom he’d heard was hospitalized in the area. At the hospital, Bob meets Guthrie (actor Scoot McNairy) and Guthrie’s close friend, folksinger Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). While the same day meetup with Seeger isn’t documented fact, it facilitates the screenplay perfectly. In a short time, Bob is performing in small clubs, pairing up with girlfriend Suze Rotolo (referred to in the film as Sylvie Russo, and played by Elle Fanning), and building a deep relationship with singer Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). And most importantly, he starts writing the songs that defined our soundtrack of the 1960s and ‘70s, from “Blowin’ in the Wind,” to “Like a Rollin’ Stone,” to “Don’t Think Twice,” and many more.

Dylan’s explosive entry onto the world’s music scene deserves to be celebrated with this major motion picture (and Dylan’s later Nobel Peace Prize). Boomers like us (and perhaps you) can relive it simply by thumbing through our record collections. But engagingly entertaining as the movie is, somehow it never quite reaches into Dylan’s soulful center. We love the movie, but we’re left wondering what inspired the artist’s direction, and how he came to be so compassionate about civil rights and the tumultuous period it was.

Timothée Chalamet is marvelous as Dylan. His earlier performances in Lady Bird, Wonka, and Dune hadn’t prepared us for the magic he creates here. He even sings like Dylan, a performance choice we applaud. But because the filmmakers have shielded us from his inner journey, Chalamet’s performance is not the tour-de-force of the film. That honor belongs to Edward Norton (Fight Club). When he’s onscreen playing Pete Seeger, he owns the movie as its heart and soul. The camera loves him, and the audience does too. We predict a Best Supporting Actor nod for Norton.

And now for something completely different: There’s an earlier “when” for entering the Dylan story, experienced by one of your Unfettered Critics. In 1960, in Fargo, ND, another kid named Bobby—Bobby Vee—formed a band. The group’s reputation reached upstate Minnesota, where teenager Robert Zimmerman sensed an opportunity. He hitched his way to Fargo, and calling himself “Elston Gunnn” (yes, three “n”s), applied for the position of piano player in Vee’s band. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really play piano, and after a disappointing appearance with Vee, he took a job as busboy in a greasy spoon named The Fargo Cafe. After several months, he moved on. Not long after, Fargo’s musicians were surprised to learn that somehow “Elston” had played harmonica on a Harry Belafonte recording, “Midnight Special.” Your Critic purchased the Belafonte album and still has it. The harmonica player is credited as “Bob Dylan.”

Obviously, following his time in Fargo, the former non-piano-playing traveler had gone on to New York, where the screenwriters of A Complete Unknown entered the movie.

And so should you.