This is the story of Bob Dylan from his arrival in New York until he blew up the world of folk music by going electric at the Newport Jazz Festival.
This is a breezy Hollywood telling that leaves a lot out, glosses over other things and still manages to make you cheer despite Dylan coming off as a self centered dick (great talent is forgiven a great deal).
The film works because of the musical sequences and because the actors over come the writing which leaves all of the characters as ciphers (this is particularly true of Elle Fanning as Dylan's on again off again girlfriend Sylvie). Largely we are left to plug in what we know of the real world counter part and go with that. Timothy Chalamet and Edward Norton come off best because the script kind of gives them something to work with.
The truth is that intellectually this film probably isn't very good, too much is missing, but emotionally, thanks to the musical needle drops this film rocks and will move you to tears. I say that as some one who isn't a Dylan fan and who was reaching for a tissue a number of times during the film.
Recommended.
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