Gosh, this is the first time in more than a year that I've gone to a theater with, or even seen a feature-length movie with, any member of my family. Specifically my dad this time. If not for his suggestion, I would likely have overlooked this title.
The story begins in 1961 when "Bobby Dylan" (Timothée Chalamet) visits the Huntington's-stricken Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) in the hospital, where he also meets a visiting Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Dylan is indeed unknown at this point, but as his music gains big-name supporters such as Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook), he becomes rich and famous almost overnight. This does not please him, because his fans and studio execs always want to pigeonhole him when he'd rather keep trying new things.
As usual for musician biopics, the protagonist has personal problems, but Dylan doesn't seem so bad. He's not abusive. He never considers his band beneath him. He doesn't even seem to have a serious addiction to drugs apart from tobacco. The worst I can say is that he's inconsiderate, especially toward the two women he unfaithfully dates on and off: Baez and Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), who used a slightly different name in RL. His insistence on doing things his way reminds me of Andy Kaufman as portrayed in Man on the Moon.
My one experience with the real live Bob Dylan was a mid-2000s concert, by which time he had vastly altered his old melodies. My dad agrees with me that Chalamet, who apparently did his own singing and instrumentation, sounds uncannily like early Dylan. I'm not sure whether his offstage mannerisms (e.g., soft mumbling) are authentic, but the actor clearly put a lot of effort into them. And like in Ray, the star isn't the only one doing a great job, just the most prominent.
It helps, of course, if you enjoy the songs as I mostly do. The movie plays quite a few, some extensively, not all from or by Dylan. I feel like I should listen to more folk rock for a fuller picture.
ACU doesn't end on much of an ending note, but with all the quality that it offers otherwise, I hardly mind. I hope it takes home some awards.
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