Reel1120

As a rock music lover since I was a child growing up in the MTV 80s, I am always interested in learning the backstories of rock history. I'll read books, articles, liner notes (remember those)- I'll watch documentaries (there's some bad ones, but quite a few great ones)- but I usually avoid biopics. There are so many out there, and far more often than not, I am underwhelmed.

I am a fan of Bob Dylan. I have seen him in concert several times. I celebrate the man's entire catalog. I had some trepidation about watching A Complete Unknown.

The movie starts with Dylan(Chalamet) arriving in New York in 1961 and ends with his 1965 performance at Newport. It mostly focuses on his romantic relationships with Sylvie (Fanning) and Joan Baez (Barbaro). Along the way, we see Dylan's relationship with Pete Seeger (Norton) and Woody Guthrie, as well as Albert Grossman.

What I liked: -pretty much all of the acting performances were good. Most notably, Barbaro as Baez. The screen seemed to come alive every time she was on it.

• The music performances. I think the filmmakers did a great job making new performances of well known songs (Like a Rolling Stone for example). This could have gone bad, but they pulled it off. Chalamet and Barbaro deserve praise for their work here.

What I didn't like: -the uninspired script. It felt very paint by numbers. I would have liked to see more depth as to what makes Dylan Dylan. Chalamet's portrayal only enhanced this. The irony of playing Dylan, is that because he comes off as aloof and arrogant, playing him that way means you're being accurate, but not interesting.

I mostly enjoyed Ed Nortons portrayal of Seeger, but at times he laid on the "hokey Folkie" a bit too much. Again, maybe an accurate portrayal but lacks depth.

****Not sure if I'll ever watch this again. I will say it had more pros than cons, but overall, it was kinda boring.

I watched this all the time when it first came out. I remember rewatching the DVD many times, and laughing so hard. Many quotable lines and silly scenarios. It keeps a positive vibe and is paced very well, never getting bogged down. Most of the characters Joe Dirt meets along the way only enhance the vibe. The movie also makes sure to stick to the premise of Joes search for his parents. It helps to glue all the scenarios together. Often times comedies like this get so caught up in the gags that the plot evaporates. If the gags are funny and plentiful, that's ok (think Naked Gun), but usually that's not the case. Joe Dirt is laugh out loud and memorable.

I just rewatched it after not seeing it for years and I wondered if it would still be enjoyable now that I am older. I can say that it definitely is. I'm surprised it's not at least a 7.3 on here, 6.0 is way low. Oh well. Life's a garden, dig it.