Just Like a Woman

 

Or something like that.

I use that song title as a blog headline today because, frankly, it's the only Bob Dylan song I can remember off the top of my head.   This Nobel Prize winner has always been a mystery to me.  But, nonetheless, he is legendary.   And the kudos thrown at this film of his life were enough for me to learn more about it.

And see the movie, of course.

That said, I can say I did enjoy "A Complete Unknown."  It held my interest.  And, even better, it was a bit of an education for me.  It's like the college course that sounds boring, but you take it because you know you will learn something.

I did learn something from this James Mangold film.  I still am not a huge Dylan fan, but I understand him a bit better.  And it also provides a sweeping history of the folk music scene back in the 60s with such characters depicted as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Johnny Cash.  With that in mind, there are Oscar noms galore here and Timothee Chalamet is a standout.  But, so is Elle Fanning as his girlfriend and Monica Barbaro as Baez.   Indeed, the two women almost steal the picture.  They are that good.

Indeed, what I like about this movie is that none of the actors really attempt to mimic the musicians they are playing.  That will never work as those voices are so recognizable that they are impossible to imitate.  But they put enough of their own spin on the songs and the audience is not cheated.

Now this movie didn't prompt me to find a Bob Dylan song on my Sirius/XM.  But the film did provide me with a sort of "Folk Music 101" and it was a class I was happy to take.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover chili.