Episode 40: A Complete Unknown, Starring Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan!

How DOES it feel to be a total genius? It’s a burden for our dear friend Bob Dylan. A Complete Unknown is a big hit and is nominated for a billionty-five Academy Awards, so we went to the theaters to experience what might be the most sincere, prestige-y portrait of a ridiculously talented douchebag in the history of filmmaking.

Sara and Rena mostly love this, because of America’s high school English teacher Pete Seeger and his sincere embrace of the composting toilet, the brilliant, no-nonsense Joan Baez, the music, and the sensible but elegant direction and writing. However, its Fail/Safe-level “Will he or won’t he go electric at the Newport Folk Festival” tension does elicit some mockery.

Also discussed: How many decades, exactly, have we been in this emotionally abusive relationship with the original negging pickup artist Bob Dylan? Who are the baby boomers and why hasn’t the media done a better job documenting their fascinating history? Could there be a more labored and nonsensical metaphor for Pete Seeger than his “buckets and seesaw” speech? Why doesn’t Toshi Seeger have her own movie? Was calling Bob Dylan “Judas” for plugging in his guitar an under-reaction?

 

Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.

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