First and foremost, I’d like to dedicate this review to my Grandad, Pete. As a creative and outspoken individual, he taught me from a young age to find my passion and love it. One of his passions is the man himself, Bob Dylan. If there was a fan club for Bob, Pete wouldn’t be a member, instead the encyclopedia as he constantly drops facts and stories about the artist’s life. He would constantly play his songs and reference him and, as I was a teenager, his raspy voice and “I don’t care” nature didn’t resonate with me. Now as an adult, I can finally see the beauty Pete was trying to show me… pure creativity, beautiful lyrics and an acoustic. Thank you, Pete, for showing me this man’s music.
Whilst it may seem I have a huge bias towards this film due to the connections with family, which is 100% correct, I must say that this is one of the best biopics I’ve seen. Such an incredible performance from Timothée Chalamet, especially considering the secluded and private nature of Bob. An interesting story, discussing the evolution of folk, the impact Bob had and the repercussions of his talent both on record labels and fans alike.
I was unaware of his relationship history prior to this so it came as a nice surprise that the film also highlighted the flaws in his character but didn’t make it the focal point of the film. Instead, it allows the viewers to decide who or if there is a villain to the story, unlike many biopics I’ve seen which are quick to victimise or focus on the negatives of the protagonist’s character. This is the same with his battle with fame, with his “rude” demeanour towards his fan base not being shown as a positive or negative, but who Bob was; a man who stands on his principles and will forever be for the music.
I also love how they used “Like a Rolling Stone”. As the song was the first we saw of Chalamet in the role in the trailer, I think the symbolism they used was excellent, as Bob slowly began to add a more “modern” twist to the folk genre, which ends in the previously hating crowd to fall back in love as he managed to integrate the energy of rock and roll with the necessities of folk, overall proving his point that his music was not only truly folk, but will continue to be adored.
But most of all, I’d like to highlight the incredible vocal performances all-round. The music was unbelievable and captures the artists perfectly. This film might not be for everyone but it’s definitely for me.
DoubleSpeak 