Brian Truitt of USA TODAY is equally as taken by Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, also rating it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Truitt says A Complete Unknown separates itself from other biopics by being an entertaining and magnetic watch. Chalamet’s portrayal feels refreshingly authentic as opposed to annoyingly imitative, the critic says:

Baez famously wrote the heartbreaking song "Diamonds and Rust" about their rocky romance. ("My poetry is lousy, you said.") In A Complete Unknown, their chemistry is undeniable; the jealousy that cuts both ways, and the ache they share as artists and lovers is breathtaking, cutting to the core, even as she smiles sharply.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” opens on Christmas, but critics are already weighing in on the film, which follows the folk singer-songwriter from the early days of his career to his infamous use of electric instruments at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.