Bob Marley: One Love Review

Bob Marley is one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20^th Century and he joins the likes of Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury, and Elvis by having a biopic made about his life.

In 1976 Jamacia suffered from political and gang violence and was on the verge of civil war. Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) planned to perform at the Smile Jamaica Concert, but he was shot beforehand. Following the concert, Marley travels to London and plans to make an ambitious and experimental album, Exodus.

Musical biopics have been a safe subgenre. They’re safe because there’s a built-in audience who would likely go and see a film, and they usually have a template. There have been many stories of gifted musicians finding success and love, but they have been abused by a family member or a loved one, exploited by management, and then developed a vice. Walk the Line was a prime example of this since it led to the creation of the parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Even films I liked, such as Rocketman and Elvis used this template and they succeeded because of how they were packaged.

Bob Marley: One Love tried to break away from this template. It aimed to be more focused since it looked at a narrow window of Marley’s life and career, from 1976 to 1978. It was about him having to flee Jamaica for his safety and protect his family, before having a triumphant return to his homeland. But he suffers from trials on the way including marital issues, being unable to arrange a tour around Africa, and having a tragic health diagnosis.

The main aim of Bob Marley: One Love was to show off Marley’s beliefs and worldview. Marley was a devoted Rastafari. The religion gave Marley a sense of belonging: he wasn’t looked down on for having a white father. Marley incorporated his Rastafari beliefs into his music, if you listen to songs there are references to Babylon, Zion, and filled with religious concepts. The film does play like a religious film since his beliefs were a driving force, from his music to his ideals about peace and co-existence. Kingsley Ben-Adir did give an excellent performance as a man who was seemingly laid back but in reality, he was a passionate musician and activist. Ben-Adir paired well with Lashana Lynch as his on-screen wife, a woman who was equally passionate and supportive, but also strong-willed and willing to tell Marley the truth when required.

Despite Bob Marley: One Love’s attempt to have a deeper theme about Marley’s message, the film meandered. This was a film that wanted to cover a lot of Marley’s musical career. This was a film that looked like a production of Exodus and its chart success, making this part of the biopic feel like Bohemian Rhapsody when Queen produced A Night at the Opera. Whilst Bob Marley: One Love was trying to avoid being a formulaic biopic, this portion of the film felt formulaic.

Bob Marley: One Love was produced by Tuff Gong, the Marley family’s record label, and Marley’s wife, one of their sons, and one of their daughters acted as producers. This family blessing meant the film had access to Marley’s discography which was a brilliant back catalogue. However, it also meant the film was a sanctified version of the legendary figure. The film only alluded to his extramarital affairs and his illegitimate children were only mentioned. Yet other musical biopics had the involvement of their subject matter or their families and they were willing to show more troubling aspects, like Rocketman and I Wanna Dance With Somebody showing Elton John and Whitney Houston having issues with substance abuse and Houston being a victim of domestic violence.

Bob Marley: One Love was Reinaldo Marcus Green’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed film King Richard. There were some similarities between King Richard and Bob Marley: One Love. Both were films about famous black figures who showed them living in areas that experienced gang violence and even had some similar scenes where the main characters’ spouse mentioned that their husbands had been unfaithful. Green attempted to bring some artistry to the film as shown when Marley performed at the Smile Concert where he saw his assailant and a fire was blazing in the background. Throughout the film, there were fantasy sequences where Marley as a child runs through a field on fire and sees a man in a colonial uniform.

Bob Marley: One Love was aimed to be a noble and respectable biopic about an idolised figure. The film did play it safe, but it was elevated by the performances and Bob Marley’s timeless songs.