Being the big music geek I am, I was interested to see what James Mangold would do with a biopic on Bob Dylan. I noticed that music biopics have been a trend in Hollywood ever since the financial success of Bohemian Rhapsody, where studios can capitalize on the popularity of these musical artists. Of course, a common issue is that these music biopics tend to be either a greatest hits compilation or an over-glorified Wikipedia article summary. The best biopics are those with fascinating life stories and natural character arcs, which makes it easier for people unfamiliar with the subject to identify with them. Even though A Complete Unknown leans towards the summary side, it's very well made.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well Timothée Chalamet played Bob Dylan, right down to nailing his mannerisms. The film covers the early years of Bob Dylan's career, from his start in Greenwich Village to going electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Other notable figures in the film are fixtures in Dylan's early career like Joan Baez and Johnny Cash. Edward Norton as Pete Seeger stands out to me, probably because I had a middle school social studies teacher who was a big irer of Pete Seeger. To my disappointment, the film does fall for the typical trappings of musical biopics. But honestly, I was thoroughly entertained. If you're not familiar with Bob Dylan, you probably won't learn much about him. But if you are, you'll have a good time.