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Every so often, a young star matches with the perfect role at the exact time of their movie star ascent. By 1994,Forrest Gumpwas the perfect vehicle for Tom Hanks to take home his second prize. Adrien Brody was the youngest man to win a Lead Actor Oscar forThe Pianistin 2002. Now,Timothée Chalametcaps off an incredible 2024 withA Complete Unknown, capitalizing on his success fromDune: Part IIand general presence in pop culture. With awards buzz circling around Chalamet, is this his moment to shine?
A Complete Unknown Star Timothée Chalamet and the Cast Talk Bob Dylan
Chalamet finds himself in the most Oscar-friendly role of the actors.
Say what you will about musical biopics, but the Oscars have proven that’s the easiest way into their heart. Over the past five years, they’ve given three awards to actors playing real-life musicians (Mahershala Ali, Rami Malek, Renée Zellweger). The number of nominations is much higher, with Andra Day, Viola Davis, and Leslie Odom Jr. picking up nominations for 2020 alone. In this regard, Chalamet is already in a great position.
Second, the performance is buzzy enough to put him firmly in Oscar’s crosshairs. Anyone who has seenA Complete Unknownmust admit he nails the bumbling, outsider cadence of Bob Dylan. With Chalamet also performing the songs, he rises above some of the obvious comps for his performance. In that regard, it’s a more full-bodied performance and checks off the “showy” aspect other performances are missing this year.
Perhaps the most important thing for Chalamet is the recency ofA Complete Unknown. The biopic skipped most festivals as it was being completed, allowing the other actors to begin their infighting. All of the big competition for Chalamet premiered at a festival before the end of September. They’ve been out campaigning for at least three months, whileA Complete Unknownbided its time. While this would sink other campaigns, an ascendent household name playing Bob Dylan is catnip for any Oscar voter. Now Chalamet can turn on his charm offensive, and work rooms with energy that his competition may not have.
Denis Villeneuve Comparing Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Dune: Part 2’ Character to Most Polarizing Star Wars Icon Clears All Doubts
Timothée Chalamet is helped by a weak Best Actor year.
Without a clear dominating performance in the mainstream, Chalamet finds himself on the inside track to take this award.Expectations forA Complete Unknownwere already high, but critics have elevated James Mangold’s return to form. With Chalamet driving the box office forWonkaandDune: Part II, the young actor appears to be a golden goose for the box office. IfA Complete Unknownlands as expected, it will be one of the highlights of the Christmas Day release calendar.
Having box office success is not everything, but when the competition in a category features lesser-known or anticipated films, it certainly helps the cause. So far, Chalemet appears to have three clear competitors: Ralph Fiennes forConclave, Adrien Brody forThe Brutalist, and Coleman Domingo forSing Sing. The odds on favorite in most predictions is Daniel Craig forQueer, but that film is not only divisive but seemingly has no chance at any additional Oscar support. Each of the other men, including Chalamet, is the lead actor in a film that is likely to be nominated for Best Picture. This has become an increasingly important aspect of picking winners for the Oscars.
Both Domingo and Fiennes, are further hurt by the ensemble nature of their films. They’re also subtle showcases of emotion that rarely get rewarded by the Oscars. Both certainly have a path, and each has previous nominations. They’re welcomed members of the club, and Fiennes’Conclavemay even pull off a Best Picture win. He could come along for the ride.
Brody gives the performance many have highlighted as the best of the year. However, movies likeThe Brutalisthave struggled with Oscar in recent years, withOppenheimerproving an exception thanks to its nearly billion-dollar box office. Brody also already has an Oscar, and if he receives a nomination forThe Brutalist, it will be his first nomination in more than twenty years. Will the Oscars be quick to reward him a second when his competition is entering “overdue” status? It’s not the undeniable turn that earned Anthony Hopkins his second statue.
“I like that”: James Mangold’s Horribly Dark ‘A Complete Unknown’ Story Made Bob Dylan Give His Blessings as Timothée Chalamet Eyes Maiden Oscar
What is standing in Chalamet’s way?
There are three big issues standing in the way for Chalamet. The first is a question aboutA Complete Unknown. While many are predicting it for a Best Picture nomination, seemingly on Chalamet’s back, it’s unclear where else it will find nominations. Mangold found recognition in the screenplay forLoganandFord vs. Ferrari. It might be foolish to doubt a return there.
A Complete Unknownalso made the Best Sound shortlist, meaning it is one of only 10 movies still eligible to receive an award there. These, plus potential nominations for Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, or Monica Barbaro, open the door forA Complete Unknownto boast a nice nomination haul. However,A Complete Unknownwill need to start racking up prizes, which it has mostly failed to do.
More importantly, if Chalamet were to win the Oscar for Lead Actor, he would be the youngest winner in the category’s history. While the supporting categories have gone for teens and children before, the youngest Lead Actor winner ever is, ironically, Adrien Brody (who was 29 when he won forThe Pianist). Chalamet turns 28 on December 27, meaning he will be at least a year younger than the previous record holder when the Oscars occur in March. This, especially compared to Ralph Fiennes’ storied career, makes Chalamet vulnerable. After all, he could be back in the Oscar race in the near future.
Will Chalamet win the Oscar forA Complete Unknown?
If we were betting on the current crop of nominees, we would agree that Chalamet is the odds-on favorite. However, with more than 3 months until the Oscar ceremony, there’s still a lot on the line. There are four primary awards to keep an eye on as we get closer to the ceremony.
The winner of the Screen Actors Guild is usually the strongest contender heading into Oscar Sunday. If Chalamet wins there, it’s an indicator of his overall strength. The actors are the largest voting body in the Oscars, and as a result, their guild has a lot of crossover. The BAFTA award will almost certainly go to Fiennes, which has been a strong indicator in recent years as well.
The other two awards to keep an eye on are The Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. However, unlike SAG and BAFTA, their voters have no crossover with The Oscars. This makes them an excellent vibes check, rather than a predictor. Together, the four have a strong correlation with predicting the winners, so keep these in mind for your Oscar pools.
Chalamet should win SAG and seems likely to win Critics Choice after a win at the Astra Awards (a large critics group with CCA overlap). If he can pull in the Globe win, he’ll have beaten his strongest competition in a nationally televised awards ceremony. If he can pull those three wins, it’d be hard to imagine an upset outside of Fiennes. This could be Chalamet’s crowning moment, andA Complete Unknownis poised to deliver it to him.
Watch A Complete Unknown in theaters today. Searchlight Pictures distributes.
Alan French
Film/TV Critic
Articles Published :280
Alan French began writing about television and film by covering the Emmys and Oscar beats in 2016. Since then, he has written hundreds of reviews on TV and movies. He attends film festivals regularly. He is a Rotten Tomato-approved critic and is on the committee for the Critics Association of Central Florida.
