Come gather round people because it’s the latest music biopic from Walk the Line director James Mangold. This time it’s folk superstar Bob Dylan (Thimothée Chalamet), but will he change with the times as rock becomes mainstream, and which lady will he lay?

Chalamet is tremendous as the enigmatic Nobel prize winner, mimicking Dylan’s vocals, guitar playing and general cantankerousness perfectly, pulling off a character it took six accomplished actors to portray in I’m Not There. He’s ably supported by Edward Norton as folk musician and mentor Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as duetting partner Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as primary love interest Sylvie Russo. Johnny Cash also plays a surprisingly (for me) prominent role, though Mangold eschews Marvel movie comparisons by not inviting Joaquim Phoenix to reprise his role.

While it inevitably carries many of the same story notes as other music biopic it avoids hamfisted clichés. Moments of creative inspiration feel natural, and the alienation of Sylvie as Dylan reaches the peak of his fame feels earned and apt. It also wisely stays focused on a limited time period duing the 1960s, though it fails to really get under the skin of Dylan’s motivations, either musical or political, beyond his love of folk music.

The mise en scène is flawless. Every road Dylan walks down is meticulously crafted, and Chalament even puts his lungs on the line by resurrecting the lost art of chain smoking. By the time the line is drawn and the curse is cast, this is a finely tuned biopic which provides a natural and unvarnished portrayal on one of the 20th century’s great musicians.