Neil Young has given his verdict on the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, calling the Timothee Chalamét feature a “great tribute” to the legendary songwriter.
Young, 79, took to his website, the Neil Young Archives, and shared his thoughts on the James Mangold-directed movie. A Complete Unknown released on Christmas Day in the US and is set for a January 17 release in the UK.
He wrote: “I love Bob Dylan and his music. Always have. He’s a great artist. Once he was on my bus and I didn’t recognise him and threw him off but that’s another story. This movie is a great tribute to his life and music. I think if you love Bob’s music you should see this great movie. I loved it.”
Young’s praise for the film comes as Chalamet is hotly tipped for an Academy Award nomination for his performance as the Mr. Tambourine Man and Idiot Wind songwriter. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance, though lost to Adrien Brody for his work in The Brutalist.
Praise for the film from legendary songwriter Young comes after it was revealed Dylan had acted out the script in its entirety with director Mangold. Producer Peter Jaysen, speaking on The Town podcast, said: “At one point, they sat there and they read the entire script out loud with Jim Mangold reading every part and stage direction and Bob Dylan only reading lines and dialogue for himself.
“Through that process, he sat there writing notes on the script. And at the end of the last session with Jim Mangold, he signed the script and said: ‘Go with God.'”
Young also hit headlines this week after pulling out of Glastonbury 2025, only to be confirmed as a Pyramid Stage headliner the next day. The 79-year-old had cut ties with the festival and dubbed it “corporate” while also confirming revisions would be made to his European tour dates.
The next day, it was confirmed Young would appear in the headline slot, making him the third act announced for the festival after Nile Rodgers & Chic, and Rod Stewart.
Young confirmed his decision to play Glastonbury with the Chrome Hearts, writing earlier this week: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I always have loved.
“Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!” Festival organiser Emily Eavis has also confirmed the news of Young’s slot at the festival, confirming he will be playing a headline slot on the Pyramid Stage.
Her statement reads: “What a start to the year! Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury. He does things his own way and that’s why we love him. We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
Young has previously headlined the Pyramid Stage, with a performance in 2009 seeing the Heart of Gold songwriter play a tight set of his best bits, as well as a cover of The Beatles’ A Day in the Life.
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