We’re inching ever closer to the release of A Complete Unknown, the new James Mangold biopic where Timothée Chalamet plays a young Bob Dylan. Since Dylan might be the single most revered figure in the past 60 years of popular music, and since Chalamet does his own singing in the film, A Complete Unknown faces a certain level of skepticism. Chalamet has said that he spent five years training with a harmonica coach, which is wild, but it does not mean that he can sing like Dylan. Today, we get a couple more examples of how it sounds when he tries.

The forthcoming soundtrack album for A Complete Unknown will apparently feature a bunch of covers recorded by the cast, and we heard a bit of Chalamet’s take on “Subterranean Homesick Blues” in a recent promo clip. Now, two full songs from the soundtrack are out. We’ve got Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez in the film, singing “The Girl From The North Country” — the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan version of the song, not the one that Dylan later re-recorded with Johnny Cash for Nashville Skyline. (Baez wasn’t on either of those versions, but, you know, poetic license. Cash is a character in the movie, played by Boyd Holbrook, so maybe we’ll get that version, too.) We’ve also got Chalamet singing “Like A Rolling Stone,” a song that looms large in the popular imagination.

The two Chalamet covers are both abbreviated versions, and they both definitely sound like someone trying to sound like Bob Dylan. You’re not going to hear these things and think that you’re hearing the real Dylan. That doesn’t mean that Chalamet can’t disappear into the role through the magic of cinema, but it feels like at least a bit of a stumbling block. Hear both of those covers below.

The real Bob Dylan has been tweeting up a storm lately, and that’s been fascinating to witness. A couple of days ago, he tweeted in support of A Complete Unknown and Chalamet’s performance, without quite endorsing either, though he does endorse Chalamet’s acting in general. (Dylan’s line about “I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable” implies that he hasn’t actually seen the film yet.) Here’s what Dylan said:

There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me. The film’s taken from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came out in 2015. It’s a fantastic retelling of events from the early ‘60s that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie read the book.

In respense, Chalamet tweeted about his gratitude yesterday.

Floored.
I am so grateful.
Thank you Bob https://t.co/u9tuAE1vpf

— Timothée Chalamet (@RealChalamet) December 5, 2024

Chalamet also recently showed up to University of Minnesota Marching Band rehearsal recently, and he sang along with their version of “Like A Rolling Stone,” but I don’t think he was in character for that part.

@umnmarch oh hey @Timothée Chalamet but seriously, THANK YOU! #marchingband #universityofminnesota #timotheechalamet #acompleteunknown #bobdylan original sound – UMN Marching Band

@umnmarch Okay but who saw this coming @Timothée Chalamet @DuneMovie #timotheechalamet #dunemovie #paulatreides #marchingband ♬ original sound – UMN Marching Band

A lot of critics have already seen A Complete Unknown, but their reviews are still under embargo, so they haven’t come out yet. Tom Scharpling doesn’t respect embargoes, and he claims that the film takes some unlikely turns.

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A Complete Unknown opens wide on Christmas. The soundtrack album arrives the same day on Columbia. I’ll probably see the movie in the theater, but I’ll probably see Nosferatu first.