A Complete Unknown could have gone a lot of different ways, but led by Timothée Chalamet, we should have assumed it would be good. The movie is up for a bunch of Academy Awards (more on that in a minute), but at the heart of the story is Chalamet's performance. He captures Dylan without putting the singer on a pedestal.
The actor gets the iconic musician's raspy voice just right and doesn't hit all the notes perfectly. Just as Dylan either couldn't or didn't. He still doesn't, of course, but one might rightfully wonder if Dylan has just carried on the caricature of himself for style. With Dylan, it was never so much about the voice as the words.
A Complete Unknown picks up the Dylan story in 1961 after he has moved from Minnesota to New York City. He lives in the Village, meets fellow icons (or icons-to-be), and creates some of the best music many people will ever hear. The story stops around the time Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival.
How you can stream A Complete Unknown right now
The move, of course, changed how he was viewed by the folk music community, but opened other avenues for him so his music would expand. There is nothing wrong with folk, of course, but Dylan had bigger dreams that the genre would naturally restrain.
The Dylan biopic was released on Christmas Day, and might still remain in a few theaters, but for the most part has left. The good news is now fans can stream the movie on a couple of different platforms. The cost might be a bit higher (or the equal of) two tickets to see the film in a theater, so make sure you have about 15 people over to watch the movie to make the price worth it.
Amazon Prime Video has A Complete Unknown available for $24.99 to rent or $29.99 to buy. There is no word on when the price will come down, but one might safely assume that will not happen until after the Oscars on Sunday, March 2. The film will also be coming to Disney+, but likely not until later in March or sometime in April.
Speaking of the Oscars, A Complete Unknown is nominated for eight awards. That includes Best Picture, Best Director (James Mangold), Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), and, of course, Best Actor for Chalamet.