A Complete Unknown

Brilliant recreation of the beginning of the career of Bob Dylan in 1961 as he travels from Minnesota to New Jersey to meet his musical idol, Woody Guthrie, through the pivotal growth of his music and relationships culminating with the decision to plug in at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964.  We all know how his music has morphed and defined different eras to date, that there was something in the lyrics that speaks to each generation on a basic level.  It’s like he’s constantly flipping the bird at authority, but still reinventing and remaining true to himself.  Dylan, to me, was/is always a tad off key, but the songs are dead-on in their meaning and originality.  The beginning of Highway 61 takes me back to my youth, and when it starts to play here, I almost cried.  The performances are nothing less than phenomenal.  Timothee Chalamet, Edward Norton, and the amazing Monica Barbaro, make you do a constant double take that they’re not the real deal.  I honestly thought Monica’s voice was dubbed by Joan, herself.  As with Wicked, each did their own singing and played their own instruments.  It paid off big time.  If there’s a god, there has to be soundtrack, just can’t say enough good about it.  Elle Fanning, Dan Fogler, Eli Brown, Scoot McNairy, and Boyd Holbrook bring it all together to make the story as compelling as the music.  Rating:  The Answer Is Blowin' In The Wind - 5 stars out of 4