The new Timothée Chalamet movie has arrived to blow your socks off! That’s right—everyone’s favorite cheekbone-sculpted, brooding heartthrob is stepping into the well-worn boots of the legendary Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Just in time for the holidays, because who doesn’t want a side of existential folk rock with their eggnog?
Set in the 1960s New York music scene—back when your grandparents were out there making questionable fashion choices and listening to things called “records”—this biopic tracks 19-year-old Bob Dylan’s (played by Timothée “I Was Born to Wear a Fedora” Chalamet) rise from a Minnesota nobody to the folk-singing messiah that had everyone trading in their pop records for protest songs. Think of it as the OG version of going viral, but instead of TikTok, it’s Dylan dropping his mystique and ballads like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and watching the world freak out. The trailer even shows Chalamet doing the singing himself! Timmy’s over here casually saying, “Yes, I do it all. I act, I sing, I wear vests like it’s 1962.”
Of course, what’s a folk hero without his folk pals? Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez, because every folk singer needs a partner to harmonize and confuse people about whether they’re dating or just super into social justice together. Then we have Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (Bob’s muse), Edward Norton bringing his “I’m serious about this” face as Pete Seeger, and Boyd Holbrook rocking the guitar as none other than Johnny Cash. Yes, they’ve assembled more musicians here than a Starbucks open mic night!
And oh, wait till you see Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie—because every biopic needs a mentor with a guitar and a weathered look that says, “Kid, I’ve seen some things.” Add in Dan Fogler as Dylan’s manager and P.J. Byrne as the folk scene’s Godfather, Harold Leventhal, and you’ve got yourself a retro cast party.
A Complete Unknown hits theaters December 25th, 2024. Because nothing says “Merry Christmas” like watching Timothée Chalamet turn folk music into a cultural revolution while you sip hot cocoa and think, “I should really learn how to play the harmonica.”
