A Complete Unknown, by Timothée Chalamet, earns debut score on Rotten Tomatoes

Timothée Chalamet's long-awaited Bob Dylan biopic A complete stranger premieres on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by James Mangold and co-starring Ed Norton, Elle Fanning and Scoot McNairy, the film will be released on Christmas Day in the United States and has already generated significant Oscar buzz. It covers the beginning of Dylan's career in 1961, up to his infamous 1965 concert at the Newport Folk Festival, where he controversially performed for the first time on electric instruments. Chalamet plays the legendary singer-songwriter in A complete stranger.

The first reviews of the film arrived on the aggregator website Rotten tomatoesand the first signs look promising. According to the website, A complete stranger scored an impressive 74% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes of 62 comments at the time of writing. This score may vary as more reviews are added. Screen speechThe film's Mae Abdulbaki awarded the film a 6 out of 10 and a new rating. Despite the high score, it's actually pretty average in Chalamet's strong filmography, ranking more in the middle of his various projects.

What this means for the success of a complete stranger

The film could have a strong box office and awards season

The strong debut rating for A complete stranger could improve as more reviews come in, and the Christmas Day release will see an increase in attention for the film. Chalamet's performance, in particular, attracted positive attentionwith some critics seeing her prominent role as compensation for other elements of the story. In it A complete stranger review, Abdulbaki stated that she “left the film feeling distant from Bob Dylan. This appears to be intentional, but it's no less frustrating from a storytelling perspective..”

Your comments reveal that A complete stranger treats Dylan as the enigmatic force of nature for which he has always been revered, which is certainly in keeping with the concept of a biopic about his career. However, it also shows why the critical response is not glowing. Biopics can be very difficult to do well, and any aspect of a star's life that the film focuses on will invariably alienate certain sections of their fan base. It seems that Chalamet's Dylan folktale is the one that is focused on a man who pushed boundaries and made difficult decisions but never revealed much of yourself.

Our take on the critical future of a complete stranger

The film seems like a sure choice for Oscar glory

A complete stranger is set for a theatrical run over the festive period, which is sure to increase its acclaim while also generating considerable Oscar buzz. Chalamet appears to be one of the favorites to be nominated for the 2025 Best Actor Oscar, and should be boosted by the fact that biopics tend to do well come awards season. Whether hardcore Dylan aficionados will love the film remains to be seen, but there appears to be reason for optimism, especially when A complete stranger is anchored by a potentially career-defining performance from Chalamet.

Source: Rotten tomatoes