I don't understand the point that "A Complete Unknown" is trying to make. It feels like the movie wanted me to hate Bob Dylan.
For starters, I know nothing about Bob Dylan and the only things I really know are generic surface level stuff like (a) he wears sunglasses, (b) he's got a whiny twangy voice, and (c) his son was the lead singer of the "The Wallflowers" who didn't want people to know who his dad was.
So the movie kicks off introducing the audience to Bob as he visits a sick singer. The movie just gives us the sick singers name and shows us he's in hospice. I forget the singers name even though I just finished watching the movie yesterday. I don't know this sick singer nor his music. Maybe the movie is expecting us to know which is a turn off and I'm already starting to get lost.
We're also introduced to Ed Norton's character Paul Seether or Seeker who is also a folk musician (had to google it - Pete Seeger). He seems like a nice guy, but again, we're not told much about him other than he has a family. So far, the beginning of the movie is telling me two things - folk is super big right now in the 60s and this Bob kid writes all his own songs, has a good voice, and his talented in the eyes of his peers.
Bob dates Sylvie (Fanning) who is in the movie for 5 minutes. Bob is also seen with Joan Baez, another singer I know nothing about. The movie tells us that Bob has a meteoric rise in popularity after his first record.
Again, I don't know Bob and the movie isn't giving me much. I don't really know his songs. And at this point, even the character doesn't seem to care or show that he cares that he's popular. He seems annoyed. If he didn't want to be popular, why make records and tour? If he wanted to remain a complete unknown, then why not just do that? Why didn't Bob just write music for his friends Pete and Joan. The movie makes a point to show that these artists cover Bob's music which I guess just helps make Bob even more popular which, of course, is what the record execs want.
The big event of the film is some folk festival in Newport, RI. Bob causes a stir and then leaves. Then he gets on his motorcycle at the end of the film and leaves again. That's it.
The movie ends by telling us how Joan Baez and Pete Seeger would continue their activist journey throughout their lives where Bob did not. Bob went on to write 55 albums and won a Noble Prize for literature and he didn't even attend the event. So again, I ask, what is the point of the movie? Here's Bob Dylan - he's an ass hole and he's why. Thanks and have a nice day?!
If the point of the movie was for me to dislike Bob Dylan as a person then I guess it succeeded. It kind of feels weird if that's the case, but that was my takeaway.
In the end, the only thing I liked about the movie were the Johnny Cash scenes. I loved the movie "Walk the Line" which is example of a film which made me like, hate, then love Johnny Cash even though I'm not a fan of his voice nor music. To this day, I will still randomly listen to songs from that movie. As I write this review I can hear Phoenix and Witherspoon singing "It Ain' Me Babe". I didn't know this song was written by Bob Dylan until I googled it.