Go see it, even if you have no idea who Bob Dylan is, just go. Now I sincerely hope you do know who he is but in case you don’t this is a great start. Starting in 1960, a young Bobby Dylan went to New York and over five years he transformed folk music and songwriting forever. Timothy Chalamet (Dune, Lady Bird) plays Dylan and I think is pretty spot on. Monica Barbaro (Phoenix from Top Gun: Maverick) plays folk singer Joan Baez, Elle Fanning plays Dylan’s first love Sylvie (character renamed at the request of real-life Bob Dylan), and Edward Norton plays folk singer Pete Seeger. First of all, they recorded live, so every actor learned not just the words but perfected instruments from the guitar to the banjo and harmonica. According to the director, James Mangold (Ford v. Ferrari, Walk the Line) the real Bob Dylan didn’t have a lot to do with the production but did give his notes on the screenplay. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill biopic, the dates and conversations aren’t verbatim, but that wasn’t the goal. They wanted to capture the essence of the young songwriter and I think it did just that. If you like music then you’ll be a big fan of this. Already getting award-season buzz and I can see why!
Rating: 4/5
Amateur Movie Reviews 